Like A Skyscraper
by HbisYellow
Summary: Emmett had the perfect life until a new girl moves to town. At first he wants nothing to do with her because she's driving a wedge between Rosalie and him. But he can't stop himself from seeking her out... EmmettxOC
1. Chapter 1

Alice Cullen sat in her car and watched the down pour of rain slide down her windshield; this weather wasn't anything out of the ordinary. But Alice knew that today would be the day that changed the lives of her family members forever.

The pixie like vampire looked down at the shirt in her hands and sighed. If she didn't give him this shirt so he could get adjusted to the scent, he may very well kill the owner of it. With one last glance at the rain, Alice bolted out of her car and into the huge house she calls home.

Edward appeared by her side within a second; a concerned look covering his handsome features. He'd probably heard her thoughts when she was out in her car and saw the vision she has been thinking about all day.

"Is everything alright?" he asked as they walked into the living room.

"It will be once I give him this," she whispered so low that only he would be able to hear her and she gestured to the shirt in her hands. Jasper perked up from the book he was reading when he felt his wife enter the room. Sensing her nervousness and unease, he sent calming waves toward her. Alice smiled at him in thanks before scanning the room for who she was looking for.

Emmett wasn't a hard person to find in a crowd let alone a living room. He was concentrating on watching a ball game with an arm lazily draped over Rosalie's shoulders. Said blonde was snuggled into his side contently. Alice was happy to see that the two weren't fighting like usual, but that was about to change…

"Emmett…" she spoke softly, but he heard her. Turning the volume down on the TV, he turned to face his step sister with that silly grin of his plastered on his lips.

"Yeah, Alice?" Alice hated to ruin the moment, but he deserved to know even if it would throw his life upside down.

"I brought you something," she said holding the shirt out for him to see. Emmett sent Rosalie an apologetic smile before slipping off the couch to walk closer to Alice.

"Thanks, Alice, but you already buy me enough clothes," he said.

"It's not for you to wear. Come closer and take a deep breath," she commanded. Emmett looked confused, but he did what his sister told him to do. His body immediately froze and turned rigid. Emmett's coal, black eyes zeroed in on the shirt in Alice's hands.

"Alice, what the hell is that?" he growled, trying to stop himself from attacking his sister to get the shirt. It had the most mouth watering scent on it. Emmett didn't know why he was feeling this way or how to handle the situation.

"It's your singer's shirt."

Kaelyn sat the last box down in her room and looked around. It was spacious and had a large window seat; the perfect place for her to read.

"Hey, Kae, have you seen my sheet music?" her mom called from the kitchen.

"I think the movers put that box in the living room!" she yelled back as she began to open up her boxes that were scattered everywhere. Kaelyn began to put her music CDs and records up first.

Her mom, Lila, played the piano for a living, but she retired and the two girls moved from sunny Florida to gloomy Washington. Kaelyn grew up around music so it was no wonder that it became her passion.

After she made a big dent in her unpacking, Kaelyn walked into the kitchen to check in on her mom to see if she needed any help. She sat down on a barstool at the kitchen island. Her mom bought the house with the biggest kitchen because she said she wanted to cook more.

"Did you find your sheet music?" she asked tapping her fingers idly on the counter top.

"Yeah, the movers put them with the decorative candles," her mom answered as she unwrapped the newspaper that was placed around their glass dishes to keep them from breaking in the boxes.

"I talked to the school. They said everything was ready and set up for you to start tomorrow morning," her mom added and looked at her daughter. Kaelyn slowly stood up and started putting the silverware away in its new designated drawer.

"Why the long face? This will be a good change for both of us, Kae," her mom said softly with a smile. Kaelyn faked a smile to reassure her mom, but honestly, she missed Florida already. All her friends were there, and she wanted to be in the warm sun again as it tanned her body.

"I'm sure it will be, Mom," she replied.

"I'm gonna go back to my room and finish up in there," she added and let her mom kiss her on the cheek before sending her off.

Kaelyn walked down the hall, but stopped and looked at the few pictures that her mom already had hanging up on the wall. One was of her first visit to the beach; her chubby toddler body was covered in sand as she held up a bright green bucket.

Another one was of her and her mom dressed up for Kaelyn's 16th birthday. That was over a year ago and now she was 17 almost 18. The last picture she came to made her stop walking all together and stare at it with sad eyes.

Her father was dressed up in all his army greens and smiling widely at the camera. Kaelyn slowly reached up and touched the dog tags that hung from her neck; she rarely took them off. He died 7 months and 16 days ago in a car bombing in Iraq.

When Kaelyn and Lila found out, they broke down and didn't leave the house for almost a month. The funeral was small but emotional, and all their family was there. Kaelyn's mom became depressed and stopped playing the piano.

That's why they moved to Forks in the first place. Her mom couldn't stay in Florida anymore because it held too many memories of her happy marriage with her father.

Kaelyn forced herself to look away from the picture of her happy father and she walked into her bedroom, closing the door softly behind her.

A/N: This is another story of mine that I'm transferring over from Mibba. The rest of the chapters will probably be a little longer, and I'm editing a for things as I republish each chapter. Leave reviews and let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

"How long has he been doing that?" Jasper asked his wife. Alice looked up at him before turning back to Emmett. He was pacing back and forth in front of the window with Kaelyn's shirt. Every now and then he would sniff it and snarl, trying to control himself.

"Almost 8 hours," she replied softly. Rosalie was seething on the couch, and Esme was trying to calm her down. Ever since she found out Emmett had a singer, she's been attempting to kill anything that moved. She broke a window and ripped Esme's arm chair cushion. Carlisle came home to an almost demolished house…

"Have you had any more visions?" he asked, trying to send calming waves throughout the room but received glares in return.

"Not much, but it looks like he'll be fine around her. As long as she doesn't get hurt, we'll be in the clear," Alice answered and turned away from the scene. They had to be at school in 15 minutes. Jasper draped his arm around her and walked toward the garage where Edward was waiting.

"Those two will be here in a minute," he said getting into his car. Alice and Jasper got in the back and buckled up.

"Bella will be wearing a green jacket today and a white shirt underneath. Compliment her on her hair because she thinks she's having a bad hair day," Alice said having a vision of Bella getting ready.

"Thanks," Edward said with a smirk. He was about to ask Bella out, but right now they are just in the flirting stage.

"Do you think they'll last?" Alice asked, thinking about Rose and Emmett as Edward drove them to school. Edward glanced back at her, and Jasper squeezed her hand a little bit to reassure her.

"You'd know that better than any of us, but honestly, having a singer is much more powerful than Emmett thinks it is," Edward said looking back at the road. He had experience with Bella after all. He didn't want anything to do with her in the beginning, but now she's all he thinks about.

"I know, but I can't help but feel bad for them. They've been together for almost a century and now they're going to end things because of a girl Emmett hasn't even met yet…" Alice whispered.

"Alice, this isn't like you. You're usually bubbly and excited to meet new people that are going to be a part of our growing family," Edward said. Jasper nodded, leaning back into his seat.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm really happy about meeting her, but something doesn't feel right and I can't seem to place it. There's something that I'm not seeing yet and that bothers me," she replied. Edward chuckled and glanced at her again.

"You not seeing something? That must be horrible for you," he joked as he pulled into his normal parking space. Alice shrugged the comment off and got out. She knew when something was wrong… But she was right, Kaelyn seemed like a great girl in her visions so she wasn't going to waste this opportunity to make another friend.

"So, what does she look like?" Jasper's southern drawl floated into Alice's ears as they walked toward the school. Edward was right next to them and just read Alice mind to find a picture of her.

"Kaelyn? Well, she's about two inches taller than me, she has short blonde hair and blue eyes. And she has good fashion sense," Alice beamed thinking about all the future shopping they could do together.

"There she is," Edward said pulling Alice out of her thoughts. They all looked over to the front door and saw Kaelyn standing there with a few pieces of paper. She looked frustrated and kept switching back and forth between the papers.

"She can't find her first period," Edward filled them in. Alice perked up and skipped a little.

"Time to go introduce myself," she giggled.

Kaelyn sighed again and turned her map around trying to find out where her English class was. So far things were not going well for her. The lady at the front desk had handed her the papers and sent her on her way before she could ask any more questions. Since then, Kaelyn's been wondering around the front of the school hoping her class would suddenly appear before her.

"Do you need any help?" Kaelyn jumped a little when a sweet voice sounded next to her ear. She looked up from her map and saw a short girl with brown spiky hair. She smiled widely at Kaelyn and introduced herself.

"I'm Alice Cullen, and it looks like you could use some," she offered kindly. Kaelyn smiled back at Alice and laughed a little at her cluelessness.

"I'm Kaelyn Schultz, and yes, I need a lot of help. Do you know where Mrs. Carney's room is?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's my boyfriend's first period!" Alice grabbed her hand and dragged her to a classroom down the hall. Kaelyn tried to keep up and remember where she was going at the same time. They stopped in front of the door and Alice dropped her hand to walk in. Kaelyn followed closely behind her and saw that a few students were already there and sitting down.

Alice beckoned her to keep going and they walked over to a boy near the window.

"Kaelyn, this is my boyfriend, Jasper. Jasper, this is Kaelyn," she introduced them.

"How do you do?" Jasper asked softly. Kaelyn raised her eyebrows at his accent but smiled warmly.

"As good as the new kid can be," she laughed. Jasper smiled a little wider. Alice was happy that Kaelyn seemed like an easy going girl. Maybe her situation with Emmett would be easier because of that.

"You just transferred? At the end of your senior year?" Jasper asked softly. Alice raised her eyebrow, surprised that he said so much. Kaelyn chuckled and little and sat down in the desk next to his.

"Yeah, my mom wanted a fresh start and when that woman wants something, she gets it," Kaelyn smirked and set her bag down.

"So, how long have you two been going out?" Kaelyn asked with a smile. Alice and Jasper looked at each other lovingly.

"It was love at first sight. How many years ago was it? Too many to count," Alice waved it off. Now it was Kaelyn's turn to raise her eyebrows. They must have been together for a long time. Alice looked down at her watch and jumped up.

"I gotta go before the bell rings. I'll find you at lunch!" she waved with a broad smile before skipping out of the room.

"She's a keeper," Kaelyn said kindly. Jasper hummed and Kaelyn noticed that his eyes were still focused on the door that his girlfriend just skipped out of. Kaelyn hoped one day she would have a relationship like theirs. Something pure and simple.

"Kaelyn!" The blonde jumped in surprise when the shorter girl linked arms with her as she walked down the hallway.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack, Alice?" she joked as they walked. It felt good to have a friend already, and she felt at ease around Alice.

"Hmm, maybe…" the girls laughed and Alice led her to the cafeteria. Alice was going to introduce her to everyone but saw that Emmett and Rosalie weren't at school still. Alice brushed it off and sat down with Kaelyn.

"Kaelyn, this is Edward and his girlfriend, Bella. My other brother isn't here yet and it looks like Jasper's sister isn't here yet either. Those two are going out so it doesn't surprise me," Alice mumbled the last part, but Kaelyn heard her.

"It's nice to meet you," she smiled.

"Likewise," Edward replied, and Bella gave a small wave. Edward noted that Kaelyn was prettier in person instead of seeing just seeing her in a vision in Alice's head. Emmett is gonna have a hell of a time trying to keep his distance. And then Rosalie will feel even more threatened because Kaelyn is attractive. Edward wanted to sigh, but he held it in.

"Wow, everyone here is paired up. I guess I need to find a boyfriend," Kaelyn joked. Alice laughed.

"That won't be too hard to do," she played along and glanced at Edward. He was eyeing her suspiciously.

"So, how long have you two been going out?" Kaelyn asked Edward and Bella. He smiled happily and laced his fingers with hers. Bella tried to cover her blush with her hair; it was kind of cute.

"We just made it official this morning," he said looking down at the brunette. Kaelyn smiled softly at the sight.

"Damn," she whispered.

"Hm?" Edward asked looking up at her. Kaelyn blushed and sat up straight.

"Sorry, I was just thinking how cute you guys are. I want someone like that someday," Kaelyn explained.

"Don't rush it, Hun. The perfect guy will come along and boom; it's love," Alice said.

"Hopefully he won't take 20 years to find me," Kaelyn responded with a laugh. She and Bella started eating their lunches. The blonde didn't seem to notice that no one else at the table touched their trays of food and instead only pushed the food around until the bell rang for their next class.

 **A/N: Alrighty, let me know what you think and leave a review. My Paul Lahote story has so many more followers than I was expecting! I hope you guys enjoy this one just as much. Fair warning that later in the story, some of the characters will be a little OOC, but I'll try to keep it to a minimum.**


	3. Chapter 3

Kaelyn rushed down the stairs already running late for her second day of school. As she passed the kitchen, her mom stopped her.

"Mom, I'm running late," she groaned trying to leave.

"You forgot to eat something. Kaelyn we're not taking any chances. Be sure to eat this before class. An apple a day keeps the doctor away," her mom said sternly and handed her an apple and a small ziplock of walnuts. Her mom had become a bit of a health nut and zeroed in on Kaelyn's eating habits. She was constantly making sure Kaelyn got the right amount of vitamins and nutrients with each meal. Kaelyn nodded and ran out the door to her car.

Luckily Forks is small and the drive to the high school was short. She found a parking space towards and back and quickly pulled into it. Jumping out of her car, she saw that she still had ten minutes before class started. Sighing in relief, she slowed down and started to munch on her apple as she walked towards the building.

"Kaelyn," Alice said in a sing song voice as she appeared by her side. The blonde swallowed her bite of apple and greeted her friend with a smile.

"Morning Alice."

"So, I know you just transferred here, but are you graduating with us in a couple months?" She asked as they walked into the school together. Alice, nosy as always, wanted to make sure she had her facts straight, especially with someone who could be involved with her family.

"The counselor said all my credits transferred over so I'm pretty sure I will be," Kaelyn said with a smile.

"That's great! I'm already planning a graduation party so you have to come!" Alice said, getting excited at the thought. Kaelyn laughed and finished her apple, but she pleased the shorter girl by saying yes. She tossed her apple core in the trash and said goodbye to the pixie like girl. They finally parted ways and Kaelyn went into her first period and sat down next to Jasper. He glanced at her and greeted her with a small smile. The bell rang shortly after and Mrs. Carney started class.

* * *

"So, what colleges have you applied to?" Alice asked as they walked to lunch. She wanted to get an idea of where Kaelyn saw herself going in life. She had a mental filing cabinet with facts about everyone she's met.

"Well, I started applying back when I lived in Florida. There's Florida State, and The University of Florida, but I think I'll stay close to my mom and go somewhere in Seattle," She replied as they entered the cafeteria. There were already crowds of students sitting together and eating. A light hum of conversation was already buzzing around the room.

"Me too! I was thinking Washington State University," Alice chimed in. The two walked over to their lunch table and sat down. Kaelyn glanced up and saw two more people there that weren't there yesterday. She smiled at them in greeting, and assumed they were the rest of Alice's large family.

"Kaelyn this is my brother, Emmett and his girlfriend, Rosalie," Alice introduced them. Kaelyn noted how good they looked together. Rosalie reminded her of a goddess with her long blonde hair and piercing eyes. Emmett... He was, in one word, handsome.

"Nice to meet you," Kaelyn said with a glowing smile. Emmett swallowed heavily and kept himself from breathing while Rosalie forced herself to sit still and not attack the girl in front of her. Even without taking a breathe, traces of her scent infiltrated Emmett's nose. He was glad he spent all that time preparing to be around her.

It was silent and Kaelyn's smile faded, thinking that she might have done something wrong she looked to Alice for help. The shorter girl gave her a reassuring smile and leaned in closer to whisper in her ear.

"Don't worry, they aren't very social people." Kaelyn nodded and took a bite of her sandwich. Lunch couldn't have been more awkward. The rest of the time, no one said a word, and Kaelyn couldn't help but think it was all because of her.

* * *

Kaelyn walked into her last period, art, and sat down at her table. Each table sat two people to it and yesterday she was the only one who didn't have a table partner. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her sketch pad and waited for class start.

"Ah. Mr. Cullen, you're here today. Go take a seat next to Kaelyn. She's new so be nice," Mr. Hines said, causing Kaelyn to look up. There in all his glory was Emmett, the guy who wouldn't even say hello to her at lunch. Great. Just what she needed. Another awkward moment, but this one would last for an entire class period.

Emmett sat down next to her and faced away so he wasn't even looking at her. Feeling slightly offended, Kaelyn ignored him as well and tapped her fingers on the table lightly. She didn't know what she did to deserve the silent treatment, but she sent it right back at him. Two could play that game, and it was easy for Kaelyn to hold a grudge.

Mr. Hines began class and told them they had a project due in two weeks. It was to create something symbolic to represent something special that holds meaning to them. It was so broad that Kaelyn didn't know what to do so she spent her time doodling on her paper. She'd think about it more seriously when she got home. She was too busy trying to think about what she could have done to offend Emmett so badly.

After a few more minutes of no talking, Kaelyn had enough. She turned in her seat to face the teen next to her. Emmett glanced up at her, noticing her sudden movement. She was staring him in the eye and he was having a hard time looking away. Her eyes drew him in like a moth to a flame.

"Did I do something to offend you? Because if I did, then I'm sorry. But I'm not used to being treated like this. Let's start over. Hi, I'm Kaelyn, nice to meet you," She said, holding her hand out. Emmett raised an eyebrow and held back a smirk. He mentally slapped himself for almost giving in. This girl will be the death of him. _Literally_. Rosalie would kill him.

"Emmett," He mumbled back and left her holding her hand out in the air. Kaelyn frowned and dropped her hand.

"You're obviously not the social type, huh? That's okay. I'll just talk to you until you decide to talk back to me," She snapped and picked up her sketch pad.

"Have you decided what you're going to do for the project that's due?" She asked, continuing to doodle. Emmett shook his head and looked out the window. It was taking all his energy not to yank the tiny blonde into his arms and bite into her soft looking neck. He could heard her heart beating and pumping the blood through her vessels.

"Hm, you'll think of something. I might do something involving my dad. He died earlier this year from a car bombing in Iraq," Kaelyn added and started to make little swirls on the corner of her notebook paper. Emmett turned to face her again when she said that.

"I'm sorry to hear that," He added quietly. Kaelyn flashed him a small smile that would have made his heart race if it was still beating.

"It's okay. Sometimes bad things happened so that good ones can follow them. Maybe moving to Forks will become a good thing," Kaelyn explained and looked at the time. It was almost the end of the day. She began to pack her things up.

"Maybe tomorrow I'll get you to open up more," Kaelyn joked and turned to leave once the bell rang. Emmett stayed in his seat for a few minutes just thinking about the girl that was turning his life upside down.

"Emmett, are you planning on staying here late?" Mr. Hines asked from his seat behind his desk. Emmett shook his head and grabbed his things. Rosalie was probably waiting for him. He walked outside to his Jeep and saw that he was right. Rosalie was standing next to his large vehicle, tapping her foot impatiently. As he made his way over, she turned to glare at him.

"I can smell her all over you," She hissed once he was closer. Emmett sighed and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair.

"She's in one of my classes," He explained slowly and looked to the side. His eyes locked on Alice talking to Kaelyn next to her car. Rosalie grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer to her. Her lips were on his before he could even think. Emmett loved it when Rosalie got aggressive, but he just wasn't feeling it at the moment. There was only one blonde on his mind and it wasn't her…

* * *

"You and Emmett have art together?" Alice asked. Kaelyn nodded and threw her backpack in her passenger seat.

"Yeah and he wouldn't talk to me the entire time so I just rambled until he said something," She laughed. Alice joined in and looked over at her brother. She could hear Rosalie lecturing him from where she was standing, but then again she did have super vampire hearing. Kaelyn probably couldn't hear a thing.

"What're you looking at?" Kaelyn asked and followed her gaze. She blushed when she saw Rosalie pull Emmett closer to her and kiss him.

"Wow, she's gutsy," Kaelyn commented. Alice snickered and nodded.

"That's just how they are. I gotta go, Jasper's waiting for me. See you tomorrow!" Alice waved goodbye and jogged over to her boyfriend. Kaelyn smiled and got in her car. Her second day wasn't so bad. Her goal now was to get a stubborn boy to open up and talk to her in art.

 **A/N: As I'm rereading my older chapters, I cringe sometimes at the writing. Please forgive me... I've gone through and edited some of it and added more details, but it's still not as good as I would like it to be. I also like Kellan Lutz with blonde hair so that's how I pictured Emmett to be in this story. I think he looked horrible with dark hair in the movies. But that's just me. R &R please! 3**


	4. Chapter 4

"So how far is La Push from Forks?" Kaelyn asked Bella as she drove them down to the Indian Reservation just outside of Forks. She wanted to break the silence instead of just hearing the loud hum or Bella's old truck.

"It's only like five minutes away. We'll be there in no time," Bella replied. Kaelyn nodded and looked out the window to watch the trees whiz by. How did she end up driving with Bella to La Push? She blames Bella's stupid boyfriend and his amazing persuasion skills. Otherwise, Kaelyn would be at home curled up with a good book trying to escape reality for a couple of hours.

* * *

 _"Kaelyn, do you have any plans this weekend?" Alice asked after school on Friday._

 _"Not so far. I was just going to hang around town or with you, but you're going camping so that's a no. I'll probably just go to one of the bookstores," Kaelyn replied. Alice pouted and that's when Edward spoke up._

 _"You should hang out with lla. She'll be alone this weekend too because I'm going on the camping trip with Alice," He said as they all stood outside in the school parking lot._

 _"Edward, I'm going to La Push to hang out with Jake and the guys," Bella spoke up. Kaelyn felt slightly awkward like the child of divorced parents when they're trying to decide who will keep her for the weekend. She was about to speak up to politely refuse, but Edward beat her again._

 _"It's okay. She can go with you and meet the guys." He said something quieter to Bella that Kaelyn didn't quite catch, but it almost sounded like "And she'll make sure he keeps his hands off you."_

 _Bella sent him a small glare and turned to face Kaelyn with a forced smile._

 _"The guys at La Push are throwing a bonfire party tonight. You should come with me," Bella said. Kaelyn was about to reject the offer, but the encouraging look from Alice stopped her. She mentally sighed and agreed to go with Bella._

 _"Great, I'll pick you up at 7 tonight."_

* * *

"So what do we do at these bonfire things?" Kaelyn asked as they got out of Bella's truck. The two started walking towards the beach right next to where Bella parked.

"Um, we sit on logs around a fire and talk. Emily usually cooks a bunch of food so we eat too. It's just a big social gathering and the guys are really nice, so you won't have a problem fitting in," Bella replied with a much more genuine smile than she had before. Kaelyn nodded and followed her further onto the beach.

"Bells! You're here!" A really tall, buff guy ran over to Bella and Kaelyn. He grabbed Bella in a hug and swung her around before setting her back on her feet, Bella laughing the whole time.

"Jake, this is Kaelyn. She's new to Forks," Bella said getting her giggling under control. The tall guy named Jake gave her a once over and held out his hand with a huge grin.

"Jacob, but you can call me Jake if you want. Nice to meet you," Jake shook her hand eagerly and dragged the two girls over to the bonfire. Kaelyn was a little flabbergasted with how open and excited Jake was.

"Hey guys, Bells brought a friend. This is Kaelyn," Jake introduced her to everyone. All the attention on her caused her cheeks to heat up considerably. She wasn't used to being the center of attention and was dying for it to be off her.

"Hey Kaelyn," A chorus of male voices said. She gave a shy wave and followed Bella over to a log where they sat down with Jake. The two began catching up and Kaelyn felt left out. Maybe coming with Bella was a bad idea after all.

"So you're Kaelyn, right?" A boy asked, sitting down next to her. Kaelyn blinked to make sure she wasn't seeing things, and that this cute boy was actually sitting next to her.

"Uh yeah and you are…?" She asked softly.

"Paul Parker," He said with a wink. Kaelyn laughed lightly and settled into a quiet conversation with him. She felt much more relaxed, and Paul was able to get her to open fairly quickly.

"You live in Forks?" He asked and took a sip of his soda.

"Yeah, I just moved here earlier this week from Florida," She replied. Paul's eyes widened and he smiled.

"That's a big change. Sunny Florida to rainy Washington," He tsked. His amusement sparkled in his chocolate eyes, and Kaelyn found that she had trouble looking away from him.

"Eh, so far so good. I do miss the beach, but my mom is happier here so I can't complain," She smiled. Kaelyn looked at the beach they were on and didn't really consider it a beach. It was chilly even though spring was on its way, and no one was in a swimsuit.

"So do you have a boyfriend yet?" Paul asked with a sly smile. Kaelyn's mind wandered to Emmett, and she didn't know why.

"Nope."

"Good, no competition then," Paul joked. Kaelyn slapped him lightly on the arm and laughed at his response.

"Don't get cocky now. I never said there wasn't someone that I liked," She stuck her tongue out at him. Paul held in a grimace, not wanting Kaelyn to know that her news bothered him.

"You like someone?!" Bella spun around to face Kaelyn. Kaelyn was at a loss for words because she said something irrationally. She wasn't exactly thinking of someone when she said it, but now Emmett wouldn't leave her mind. His golden eyes burned in her mind.

"Uh, well, not exactly. Okay, maybe," Kaelyn stuttered. Bella smiled a little. Edward told her what was going on with Emmett and Rosalie and right now Rosalie wasn't her favorite person. She didn't want their marriage to go down the drain, but from what she's seen, Kaelyn would make him happier.

"I think I know who it is," Bella smirked. Kaelyn turned cherry red while the two boys just sat there not knowing what to say. Jacob was curious, but Paul was feeling more irritated by the minute.

"Bella," She warned, but the brunette didn't listen. Her knowing smile made Kaelyn cringe because she knew Bella was more observant than she let on.

"Is it Emmett?" She asked softer even though she knew both the boys could hear her clear as day.

"That Cullen?" Paul asked with a sour look on his face.

"I do not! Besides he's with Rosalie," Kaelyn trailed off and looked at the blazing fire. The sun was setting and it was becoming the only light around.

"You know, I thought that I would never be able to be with a guy like Edward, but look what happened," Bella said. Kaelyn noticed that Jacob turned away when Bella mentioned her boyfriend. She figured that the boy liked Bella more than a friend, but it was one sided on his part.

"Was Edward in a relationship when you met him? Did he ignore you in class and act like you were some kind of disease he didn't want to catch?" Kaelyn asked negatively. She didn't know why she was getting so worked up about it, but it felt good to vent.

"No, he was single, but he did act the same way. I think it's the Cullen boys' way of telling a girl they like her. Edward wouldn't even look at me when we had to sit next to each other in chemistry," Bella smirked, knowing Emmett was having a hard time being around his singer just like how Edward was with her.

"No offense, Bella, but Rosalie is beautiful. Emmett would be a fool to leave her. Besides, having a relationship is not what I need right now," She muttered.

"Why's that? Is something wrong?" Bella asked looking concerned.

"Huh? Oh no, nothing's wrong," She said too quickly for Bella's liking.

"It's just that I'm still new here and I'm trying to fit in still," She lied through her teeth. Paul didn't buy it and neither did Bella or Jake, but they dropped it. If she didn't want to talk about it then they weren't going to push her to.

They were soon interrupted by a man in a wheel chair. Paul leaned over and whispered in her ear that he was Jake's dad, Billy. Everyone gathered around the camp fire and listened to Billy tell the tribal legends. Kaelyn was so engrossed by them that she didn't notice or mind much when Paul wrapped an arm loosely around her waist. She was encased in warmth and wanted to snuggle closer but stopped herself.

Billy told them about the shape shifters and the cold ones that once walked around La Push. It sounded like werewolves and vampires to Kaelyn, but she knew that it was just a tale. Those things don't exist in real life.

"Hey, ready to go?" Bella asked. Kaelyn was starting to nod off on Paul's shoulder. She jolted up and wiped her mouth in case she had drooled. Paul chuckled at her actions and stood up as well to stretch.

"Uh, yeah if you are," Kaelyn replied with a smile. She checked her phone and saw it was just past midnight.

"Okay, let me go say bye to Jake." Bella jogged off and left Kaelyn alone with Paul.

"Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. I had fun," Kaelyn said. Paul looked at her smile and wanted more than anything to imprint on her, but if it hadn't happened by now then it wouldn't happen later. But that didn't mean that he wasn't going to try to pursue her. Kaelyn was beautiful and fun to be around.

"No problem. I had fun too. Hey, can I have your number so we can hang out again soon?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Kaelyn smiled again and it almost took his breath away. The two exchanged numbers and then Kaelyn was pulled away by Bella to leave. Jake stood next to Paul as they watched the girls leave in Bella's old, red truck.

"Jake, for once in my life, I actually want to imprint, but she got away," Paul grumbled. Jake patted his back and smiled ruefully.

"Don't worry man, I know exactly how you feel."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry the chapters have been shorter. As I rewrite this, I'm thinking of changing a few things up so it's taking me longer to post the new chapters. Let me know what you think! Leave reviews, and favorite/follow. I love hearing back from y'all, and it makes me update faster! I can't believe I already have several reviews! I love it guys 3**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

"Don't you guys ever get tired of doing this?" Emmett asked as he watched Edward and Alice play chess. They were evenly matched so who knew when it was going to end. Every time Alice saw a vision of Edward's move, he would read her mind and change it. It was a constant cycle of them moving pieces across the board with no end in sight.

"Don't be jealous, Emmett. It's hard being this talented," Alice smirked and moved her rook, but she stopped in the middle of her move and zoned out. Edward stopped as well and frowned as he saw Alice's vision in his own mind.

"Hey, what just happened?" Emmett asked feeling lost. Obviously Alice saw something that Edward didn't like. They did this all the time, and it made Emmett feel out of the loop. It was like they had their own secret club, but he didn't know the password to get in so they just left him outside.

"Quiet," Edward shushed him and focused on Alice. He wanted to make sure he was seeing her vision correctly. Finally Alice finished her vision and snapped her eyes to focus on Edward. He looked equally as disgruntled as she was.

"We might have a problem," Alice whispered and turned to look at Emmett.

"Will one of you please explain already?!" Emmett snapped at his siblings. It was frustrating just waiting for one of them to finally say something. Edward and Alice shared a look before Alice decided to break the news.

"I can't see Kaelyn's future anymore. I saw her driving with Bella and then nothing. Now all I see are snippets and they aren't very good either…" Alice trailed off.

"What are you talking about? Why can't you see anything?" Emmett asked feeling slightly panicked. Even if he didn't want to admit it, Kaelyn was growing on him and Alice's vision made him worried. There were only so many reasons why she wouldn't be able to see Kaelyn, and he didn't like any of the options.

"She's driving to La Push a lot," Alice lied through her teeth, choosing to hold back part of the vision. Edward gave her a look, not approving of keeping the rest of the vision from Emmett.

 _"Don't say anything, Edward. Emmett doesn't need to know yet,"_ Alice said in her mind. Edward wanted to disagree but didn't go against his sister. She knew best after all.

"She's hanging around those mutts?" Emmett growled. His eyes grew darker and his lip curled back. The thought of those dogs around Kaelyn made his blood boil. He didn't want her to be around immature boys who recklessly shifted with people around. He knew about their alpha and the accident he had around his own imprint. No telling what could happen to Kaelyn who wasn't as important to them.

Unless one of them does imprint on her.

Edward followed Emmett's dangerous train of thought and almost intervened, but Emmett's mind went suddenly blank. His thoughts were completely gone. Looking at him, Edward met Emmett's hard glare and knew he didn't want him listening in on his thoughts. But that was pretty hard to do considering there wasn't an off switch Edward could hit and turn off his power. Breaking the awkward silence, Edward told Emmett about Kaelyn's plans with Bella.

"Bella took her to a bonfire tonight. She probably befriended one of them," He explained.

"You let Kaelyn go there?! Why would you do that?!" Emmett hissed, feeling angry at Edward for the first time in a long time. Edward, in turn, felt like he was reaching his breaking point. He felt like he'd been caught in the cross hairs, and he was tired of someone being mad at him for just being there.

"Back off, Emmett! She and Bella are becoming friends and it's not like it's your concern. You don't even want to be with her. What she does is none of your business!" Edward retorted. Emmett opened his mouth to say something else, but he saw Rosalie standing in the doorway and stopped. Edward knew it was below the belt, but it was the truth. Emmett was adamant about not being with Kaelyn, and he needed a dose of reality if he was going to choose to keep thinking that way.

"Next time, don't leave me out of the loop," Emmett snapped and walked out of the room. He brushed past Rosalie who was fuming by now, but Emmett was pissed and hungry. He needed to take his anger out on a bear or lion if he could find one. Rosalie's eyes followed him as he left and room before turning back to look at the remaining occupants.

Rosalie glared at Alice and Edward before leaving to go after Emmett. Jasper walked in as Rosalie left and he looked to his siblings for answers. The emotions were raging in the house, and it left him tired and confused.

"Kaelyn met the wolves and Emmett got mad," Alice summarized. Jasper glided over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her. He calmed her anxious feelings and smiled down at her.

"Everything will come together sooner or later. We just need to let things play out for themselves," He said softly.

* * *

Kaelyn woke up the next morning not feeling very well. She dragged herself out of bed and into the shower hoping it would wake her up more. She must have been in there longer than she thought because her mom came knocking on the door.

"Kaelyn? You've been in there for almost 45 minutes… Are you okay?" Her mom asked from the other side of the door. Kaelyn could hear the worry in her voice and just wished that she wouldn't constantly hover over her.

"Yeah, I'm just still sleepy. I'll be out in a minute," Kaelyn called back and began to turn the water off. She heard her mother walk away as she pulled her towel around her body. She had a feeling she knew why she wasn't feeling good, but she didn't want to think about it right then. Kaelyn pushed the thought aside and went to get dressed before meeting her mom downstairs.

Kaelyn sat down at the kitchen table and ran her fingers through her short, wet hair. Her mom was busy cooking eggs and bacon on the stove. She sat there looking forward to having a lazy Saturday of reading.

"Are you okay?" Her mom asked softly. Kaelyn watched her mom as she avoided eye contact, focusing on cooking instead. Kaelyn smiled sadly before getting up and wrapping her arms around her mom from behind. She knew her mom only wanted the best for her, and she felt guilty for wishing she would leave her alone earlier.

"I love you, Mama. I'm fine," She reassured her, but her mom still held back tears. She knew how much this was killing her mom and she hated it. Her mom would do anything for her, and it was a hard pill to swallow when she was left helpless and couldn't do anything for Kaelyn.

"I'm just worried. That's what mothers do," Her mom whispered before turning around and hugging her daughter back.

"See, all good," Kaelyn smiled once they pulled away. She didn't want to let her mom know how lethargic she was feeling or that her joints were starting to hurt. It would only upset her mom even more and she didn't want that. She deserved to have a break from constantly worrying about her.

"I guess so." There was a knock on the front door and Kaelyn went to get it so that her mom could keep cooking their breakfast. Kaelyn opened the door and was surprised to see Paul standing on the other side. She didn't remember ever telling him where she lived so she was a little caught of guard to find him on her front porch. He looked a slightly nervous, his hands shoved into his pockets as his eyes looked around.

"Paul, what are you doing here?" She asked with a soft smile.

"Uh, Jake came to see Bella and she told me you lived down the street so I came to see you. Am I intruding?" He asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. Kaelyn wanted to laugh, but she didn't want to make him anymore uncomfortable. It was nice to see a friendly face, and she truly liked being around the older guy.

"No, of course not. My mom is cooking breakfast. Are you hungry?" Kaelyn asked, letting him come inside.

"I'm always hungry," He joked and followed the blonde into the kitchen.

"Mom, we have company. Mom, this is Paul. Paul, this is my mom, Lila. I met Paul last night at the bonfire with Bella. He made sure I wasn't alone," Kaelyn introduced them. Lila wiped her hands on a kitchen towel before shaking Paul's hand. His large hand engulfed Lila's much smaller one.

"It's nice to meet you. Thanks for looking after my daughter," She said sweetly. Paul felt embarrassed again for the praise and hoped his neck wasn't flushed. He wasn't used to receiving so much kindness, but it was nice.

"Nice to meet you too and it was no problem. We had fun."

"Are you joining us for breakfast?" Lila asked heading back towards the stove. She had no problem with extra company, she loved feeding people. It was also nice to see Kaelyn making new friends and settling down in Forks. She was worried that the move would be too much change for her and that she was revert into herself and distance herself from the other kids her age.

"If that's alright with you," Paul said kindly.

"Of course it is," Lila said adding a few more eggs to scramble. Paul and Kaelyn sat down at the kitchen table. Paul was happy and he felt comfortable in Kaelyn's home. Both she and her mother were warm and welcoming. A small part of his mind was telling him he could get used to this. He once again cursed himself for not imprinting on Kaelyn.

"So, does Jake like Bella or something? I know she's with Edward, but last night, the way he looked at her…" Kaelyn trailed off.

"Yeah, Jake has always had a crush on Bells, but it's gotten worse ever since Edward came into the picture. He's pretty jealous," Paul said, trying to play it off with a laugh. He knew that Kaelyn was still oblivious to who the Cullens really were and what the guys did at La Push. Kaelyn laughed along and then her mom set plates down in front of them.

"There you go! Eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and toast. Enjoy," Lila said. Kaelyn looked down at the mountain of food with wide eyes. Paul on the other hand thanked Lila and dug in. It looked like he would be able to finish the meal in under ten bites. Kaelyn held back her snickers and started eating much smaller bites of her eggs.

"Well, someone appreciates my cooking," Lila commented before sitting down next to Kaelyn to eat as well.

"It's really good," Paul mumbled with his mouth full. Kaelyn and her mom laughed. After they ate, Paul spent the rest of the day hanging out with Kaelyn. They went into her room and sat on the bed watching cheesy movies. She only met him last night, but Paul was so easy to get along with and talk to. It felt like she'd known him her whole life. They reclined against the headboard of her bed and made of the the cliche lines in all the movies and joked about the things that were meant to be serious.

"Kaelyn, your friends are here!" Lila called up to them.

"I bet that's Jake telling me it's time to go," Paul grumbled and stood up. Kaelyn followed him back into the living room and to the front door. Bella and Jacob stood by the front door and smiled at them.

"It's time to go, man. Sam wants us back," Jake said confirming Paul's suspicions.

"I'll see you later. I had fun," Paul said before hugging Kaelyn goodbye and leaving with Jake. Bella stood next to her friend and smirked at her, a knowing smile tugging on her lips.

"Do you have a thing for Paul?" Bella asked as Jacob drove away with said man.

"What? No… No, Paul and I are just friends."

"Right… Because you like Emmett," Bella grinned, spinning it around on the blonde. Kaelyn's cheeks flared red and she tried to back track.

"Bella! No I—"

"See you later, Kaelyn!" Bella laughed walking back to her house. Kaelyn sighed and shut the door. A smile spread across her face. Forks wasn't so bad after all.


	6. Chapter 6

"I don't see why you're getting so mad about what she does! It's none of your business," Rosalie snapped at her husband. Emmett let out a frustrated sigh and scrubbed his face with his hands.

"Even if I don't want to admit it, she is my singer, Rose. Sometimes I don't have a choice when it comes to my reactions. I'm not trying to be invested in every little aspect of her life," He growled trying to calm down. They have been fighting all night and it was beginning to take a toll on him. He could only take so much of Rosalie yelling at him, and to make it worse, they had to be at school in an hour. Skipping was sounding pretty good right now, but he knew that if he did, Rosalie would too and the fighting would continue.

"So what?! Just get rid of her and everything will be better!" His golden eyes snapped to her the minute the words left her mouth, and he was shocked and infuriated at the same time.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! Did you just tell me to kill her?" Emmett asked in disbelief. He frowned at his wife and shook his head as he walked away.

"Emmett! Where do you think you're going?! I'm not done talking to you!"

"Yeah? Well I am," He mumbled and left the room. Emmett walked downstairs and saw the concerned looks on his family members' faces. Emmett just shook his head and grabbed the keys to his jeep so he could leave. He didn't want to spend one more minute in their mansion that only seemed to suffocated him.

Rosalie came rushing down the stairs after him, but he was already out the door. Alice reached out and grabbed her sister's arm to stop her. Rose's harsh eyes met Alice's with an icy stare.

"Rose, he needs some room," She said softly. Rosalie glared at the pixie like vampire and wrenched her arm from Alice's dainty fingers. She took a few steps back and looked into all their accusing faces before zeroing in on Alice once again.

"This is all your fault. You should have had us move the first time you had a vision of that bitch," Rose snapped and went to get her own car. She wanted to talk to Emmett and he wasn't going to get away from her that easily. She knew he would try to use the school as a shield from her, but she wasn't going to make it that easy for him.

"What do we do now?" Alice asked the rest of the family once the couple was gone from the house.

"Rose has always been a bit dramatic. She and Emmett will sort things out," Carlisle said confidently and left to get his briefcase so he could leave for the hospital. Alice loved her father figure, but she couldn't help but feel like he was being somewhat obtuse with the whole conflict. He wanted to see the good in everyone and everything, but Alice doubted that the end result would be what Carlisle was hoping for.

When she looked up and caught Edward's eyes, she knew he was thinking the same thing.

* * *

Emmett whipped into his parking spot and sat still as stone for a few moments. He just needed a minute to breathe without Rosalie hovering nearby. Releasing a sigh that sounded too close to that of a defeated man, Emmett grabbed his bag and got out of his Jeep. Rosalie put him in a bad mood that would probably last all day, and he felt sorry for whoever tried to approach him when he was like this. He'd almost made it inside the double doors when a voice stopped him.

"Emmett! Hold up!" Edward called, jogging after him. Emmett clenched his jaw not wanting to talk, but he waited for his brother anyway. He was sure Edward heard everything Rose said to him and in turn what they both were thinking during the blow up a few minutes ago.

"Hey, do you want to talk about it?" Edward asked once he caught up with him.

"I'm not in the mood…" Emmett snapped lowly. Edward held his hands up in surrender but continued in a soft tone.

"Emmett, I know how hard it is to being around a singer, but sometimes it's better to give in. Take it from someone who has been in your shoes; I know how you're feeling right now. Not about Rose but about Kaelyn. I love Rosalie, she's our family, but there are times when you need to do what makes you happy. See you later," Edward said, leaving before Emmett could reply.

Did Edward just tell him it was okay to break things off with Rosalie? Emmett was even more confused about what he should be doing. He and Rosalie had been married for so many years, how would he be able to live without her in his life? Before Kaelyn turned up in town, he'd never even tried to picture life without her because just the thought of it was ludicrous to him.

Emmett pushed his thoughts aside and went to his first class. As he walked, he decided to skip lunch. He wasn't ready to face Rosalie just yet, and he needed more time before he saw Kaelyn again.

* * *

Kaelyn all but jogged to art that day. Emmett wasn't at lunch, but Rosalie was and Alice told her that he came to school. It was more awkward than usual to have lunch with them. Alice tried to make small talk and put Kaelyn at ease, but Rosalie was staring her down the whole time, and she didn't have a clue what she did wrong.

When Kaelyn walked into the art room, she saw Emmett already sitting down at their shared table. She took her seat next to him and smiled widely, trying to come off friendly and not nosy. Emmett looked at her and found that he couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Hey, where were you at lunch? It was all super awkward," She mumbled. Emmett snorted and held back an eye roll. He could already picture Rosalie glaring at the small blonde and Alice trying to make sure everyone got along. He felt bad that Kaelyn had to endure almost an hour with his wife, but he knew he would have handled it much worse if he'd showed up.

"Sorry, I had to stay in history to get help with one of my papers," He lied smoothly. Kaelyn believed his fib and took out her project that they'd been working on the past few classes.

"Have you decided what to do for your project?" Kaelyn questioned as she began to sketch out more shapes on her piece. Emmett watched her lazily from the corner of his eye, focusing on the way her hand moved effortlessly with each stroke of her pencil. It was mesmerizing.

"No… I'm not an artsy person."

"True, you look more like an athlete than a closet artist with a suffering soul," Kaelyn joked, eyeing him up and down. She wouldn't say it out loud, but on more than one occasion, she'd stopped to appreciate the way his arm muscles flexed under his tight sleeves. Emmett let out a small laugh and nodded to agree.

"I play most sports. And I play them all pretty well."

"Don't be modest or anything," Kaelyn teased and continued to sketch the outline of a warrior. Emmett laughed along with her and felt his mood lightening. Maybe Edward right and he needed to do what was good for him. Rosalie felt like a heavy rain cloud floating overhead, but being near Kaelyn was like taking in a breath of fresh air. He couldn't help but wonder if that was a side effect of her being his singer. Did Edward feel that way around Bella?

"So, what are you drawing?" He asked, looking down at her pad of paper and trying to get his mind to focus on something else other than wanting to run away with the blonde next to him.

"I wanted to create something to memorialize my father and his fellow soldiers that are still overseas. This is just a rough sketch while I figure out exactly what I want to do with it," Kaelyn explained in a soft tone.

"So I take it that you're an artist then?" Emmett asked. Her drawing was much better than anything he was capable of doing. He may be immortal and have a plethora was skills, but art will never be his strong suit.

"I like it, but I'm a musician before an artist. I grew up around music and I want to major in it in college. I would love to be a concert pianist or some kind of music teacher! I haven't really decided which one I like more," She said with a sad smile. Emmett was confused; she seemed happy to talk about college, but he facial expression said otherwise. But she smiled again before he could ask her about it and moved to focus on him.

"What do you want to do in college?" She asked.

"Probably football, but I want to major in business so I can start my own sports store or something like that," Emmett said with a shrug of his shoulders. He never thought about going to college because he always moved away after senior year and restarted his high school life. It was a never ending cycle, and he was never able to go further in life.

"Well, we're young and we have plenty of time to figure things out," She smiled softly. There was some kind of hidden meaning behind those words, but Emmett didn't try to decipher them at the moment. He was too caught up in the warm glow of her smile and how her blue eyes twinkled at him in amusement. He could tell that she thought he was funny for answering with football, but that was all he could think of.

Seeing that he was zoning out, Kaelyn moved to comfort him. Placing a warm hand on his cold one, she waited for their eyes to meet before speaking.

"You have a lot of potential, Emmett. Whatever you decide to do and put you mind to, you will succeed in. Be it football or starting your own business, I know you will accomplish great things." Emmett stared at her as she spoke and knew it right then. She had him. There was no way he was going to be able to ignore her and go back to his old life. She could do whatever she wanted with him, and he would have little power to stop her. It scared him how much control she had over him, and she didn't even know it.

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know what you guys think. I'm still struggling with how I want to rewrite this. I'm honestly thinking of changing some of the story line because I realized that a lot of the older chapters I have done for the original are just a bunch of fillers. So it may take me a little longer to crank out new chapters as I try to revamp this as well as I possibly can.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I guess I should actually have a disclaimer right? I always forget to add those to any of my stories.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I only own my original characters and the non-canon story line.**

* * *

The final bell rang and everyone started getting their bags ready to leave. Emmett watched Kaelyn pack her things up and carefully stow away her sketches for her project. He paused for a minute to think things over before finally deciding to speak.

"I suck at art." Emmett got tongue tied after that first sentence, but Kaelyn still gave him her attention; her backpack already tossed over one shoulder. When Emmett didn't continue, Kaelyn laughed softly.

"Was there an ending to that story, Em?" She teased. Emmett noticed the nickname she'd given him and felt warm affection pool in his belly. Who knew just shortening his name would make her that much more endearing to him.

"I'm having trouble thinking of something to do for the project," He grumbled and looked down at his blank paper. Kaelyn followed his line of vision and grinned slightly. "I can help you think of something if you want."

Emmett almost felt bad for using such a lame excuse to spend more time with her. _Almost._ But if it got the job done, then who was he to judge?

"Do you have time today?" Kaelyn wanted to say yes, but she already made plans to see Paul and would feel horrible about canceling on him last minute. "I have some things to do today, but I'm free tomorrow after school if you want to stick around and brainstorm," She offered. Emmett nodded and stood up, grabbing his bag in the process.

"Thanks, Kaelyn. Mr. Hines would fail me for anything I came up with on my own," Emmett mumbled as they walked together out of the classroom. The light tinkling of her laughs had his ears buzzing, and he wanted to keep doing things to make her laugh.

"He wouldn't fail you. It's your senior year, and it's only art. If anything, he would just bump your grade up enough to make sure you graduate with the rest of us."

"Well, I'm pretty sure I'm not his most favorite person so we'll have to see about that." Kaelyn laughed again and shoved his shoulder. Emmett made sure to move enough with her push to make it look realistic to her and any onlookers.

"You're such a baby," She joked and stopped outside near her car. "Thanks for walking with me. I'll see you tomorrow." She waved goodbye and climbed inside the small SUV to drive home.

Emmett felt his brother's presence next to him before Edward actually said anything.

"You two are talking more."

"Hn. I'm taking some of your advice and seeing where it leads me. It's too hard to ignore her," Emmett confided. Edward just nodded and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. "Bella thinks she has a crush on you."

Emmett jerked his head around, looking for Rosalie. "She left after lunch," Edward told him, following his train of thought. Emmett relaxed and looked back at Edward. Kaelyn had feelings for him?

"Bella said she gets flustered when she brings you up around her," He told his brother with a shrug of his shoulders. Emmett smiled and turned to see Kaelyn's SUV disappearing from view and turning a corner. What he failed to notice, though, was that she was heading in the opposite direction of her house.

* * *

"Paul, give me the remote…" Kaelyn said trying to sound threatening. Paul smirked at her and held it high above his head. Teasing her was becoming one of his favorite pastimes.

"Seriously?!" She whined and tried to grab it. She failed. Paul was much taller than her, and even if she jumped, her fingers only barely grazed his wrist.

"Come on shorty," Paul joked and waved the remote around. Kaelyn pouted and attempted to shove him, but he didn't budge from his spot in front of her. The two stood in the middle of his living room, facing off with each other over who would get to control the remote and decide what to watch.

"Oh, so we're getting violent now are we?" Paul asked with a certain gleam in his eyes. Recognizing his intent, Kaelyn moved to back away and get out of his immediate reach.

"Paul… Don't even thin—" Kaelyn was cut off when Paul tossed the remote aside, tackled her onto his couch and started attacking her sides with his fingers. Paul hovered over her and tickled her until soft wheezes were filling the room.

"P-Paul! Stop!" Kaelyn cried between her laughs. The shapeshifter finally relented and let Kaelyn sit up. Her breathing was labored, and she tried to glare at her attacker, but a smile overtook her face.

"You jerk! All I wanted was the remote," She grumbled when Paul's face took on a smug look for winning their little squabble.

"Yeah, but you're the one who shoved me. I had to retaliate." Paul shrugged his shoulders. Kaelyn quickly grabbed the remote when Paul let himself relax against the couch and changed the channel.

"That's because the last thing I want to do is watch the Swamp People," Kaelyn mumbled and finally found the show she was looking for. Criminal Minds.

"Really? How can you watch this? It makes me not want to stay home alone or go out at night," Paul complained but did nothing to try to take the remote back from her. Kaelyn smiled at him and then stared at the screen.

"I watch it for Spencer and Derek. Oh the things I would do to those men," She whispered. Paul faked gagging noises from his spot next to her on the couch.

"Ew TMI, babe. I don't want to know about your sexual desires," He grumbled and leaned back into the cushions. Kaelyn turned to face him and put a hand on his chest. Paul tried to remain calm even though she was touching him. Kaelyn leaned in closer so that her mouth was right next to his ear.

"Are you sure you don't want to know about my _desires_?" She whispered with a smirk. Paul gulped but couldn't form any words. Kaelyn cocked her head to the side and laughed before standing up from the couch.

"Are you hungry? I'm in the mood to cook," She said as she walked into the kitchen like nothing just happened. Like she didn't just send Paul's heart into overdrive and blood straight to another part of his body. Paul took a deep breath and tried to get himself back under control. This girl drove him crazy.

"Uh yeah, I'm starving," He answered and stood up to follow her into the next room. Paul watched her walk around his kitchen like she lived there and it made him smile. If only he had imprinted on her; she would be perfect for him.

* * *

Alice frowned heavily as she stared out the window at the drizzling rain. The wolves were making her life difficult. It frustrated her that she couldn't see them in visions; it frustrated her even more that she didn't know why she couldn't see them. She was happy Kaelyn was making friends, but it left her future mostly blank because of her involvement with Paul.

"Alice?" The vampire quickly smiled and turned around to face Bella.

"What's up, Bella?" She asked sweetly. Bella stared at Alice suspiciously from her spot on the couch next to Edward.

"I just wanted to see what was going on. You've been staring out the window for a while now." Everyone was relaxing in the Cullens' living room besides Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle was at work doing a double and Esme was taking a mini vacation and hunting.

"It's not too important, Bella," Alice said trying to change the subject, but Bella didn't let up.

"Is it about Kaelyn?" She asked softly. Emmett glanced at them from the corner of his eye, trying to pay attention to the ball game that was playing, but whenever Kaelyn was mentioned, he had a hard time focusing on anything else. Rosalie glared but tried to continue reading her book.

"Something like that… I can barely see her future at all, and what I do see, I don't like." Alice replied quietly.

"What's wrong with her future?" Emmett asked trying to not get too worked up over the idea that something bad was going to happen to the small blonde. She was already wedging her way into his heart, and if anything happened to her, he was sure it would ruin him.

"It's nothing, she must be going to see the wolves more often," Alice said not wanting to upset him too much with the parts of her future she could still see.

"That's true. She practically lives at Paul's house. I texted her today after school to see if she wanted to hang out, but she said it was movie night at Paul's or something." Emmett stood up and walked over to the girls feeling pissed off. Paul was the reason she couldn't stay after class and go over the project with him? He knew he had no claim over her, but the thought of the wolf putting his hands on her made him see red.

"Paul? Is she dating him or something?" He asked through gritted teeth. The last thing he wanted was for his singer to end up with a mutt.

"No, Jake said that Paul didn't imprint on her, but they're really close," Bella said quietly. Emmett growled and fisted his hands at his sides.

"Why do you care, Emmett? You said you don't want to be with her. Let the mutt have her," Rosalie snapped and put her book down on the arm of her chair. Emmett held his tongue so that he didn't say anything he would regret later, but he was very tempted to lash out at his estranged wife.

"I'm going to hunt. Don't follow me," He said looking straight at Rose. She glared at him as he left through the front door but did as he said and stayed sitting in her chair. Slowly, she picked her book back up and picked up where she left off reading. Emmett took off running through the trees looking for any big game that would put up some kind of challenge for him.

His feelings were already jumbled, but having Rose act like that wasn't helping him at all. Emmett knew that he was hurting Rose by not denying how he felt about Kaelyn, but it was harder than he thought it would be to ignore her. Kaelyn's blood called to him like no other's had, and that made things so much more complicated. He wanted her and hated being near her all at the same time.

Emmett stopped dead in his tracks and sniffed the air. Speak of the devil. Kaelyn was somewhere close by, her light scent fluttering in the breeze around him. Without thinking, Emmett ran in the direction of her scent.

He came into a field with wild flowers everywhere. In the middle of the opening, he saw Kaelyn was laying down looking at something in her hands. Whatever it was, it was shiny and glinted off the pale moonlight that lit up the area around them.

Emmett slowly walked closer but stopped. He didn't want to scare her off, but he also wanted to know why she was there in the first place. It was too late for her to be wondering around by herself in the woods. She was also supposed to be at Paul's right now, so why was she in the woods near his family's property?

"Kaelyn?" He called gently, trying not to spook her. The blonde shot up and jerked her head to the side to look at him. She let out a deep breath and smiled widely at him.

"You scared the crap out of me," She laughed, "What are you doing here?" Emmett walked closer and smiled back.

"I could ask you the same thing."

* * *

 **Review! Let me know what you think! I'm adding in new plot details and minor plot line changes so bear with me. Thank you all again for the support and kind messages!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Twilight. I only own my own canon/non-canon story line and original characters.**

* * *

The two stared at each other a moment longer before Emmett walked over to sit down next to the short blonde. The meadow they sat in was silent, and the moon was their only source of light. Kaelyn had originally left Paul's to have some alone time, but she found herself happy that Emmett was suddenly with her.

The pale light reflected off the item in Kaelyn's hands and brought Emmett's attention back to it. He looked down at her hands and saw some sort of necklace.

"What's that?" He asked, gesturing towards it. Kaelyn glanced down and smiled. She opened her hands wider so that he could see the whole thing, and he immediately recognized what it was.

"My dad's dog tags. One of the few things I have left of him…" Kaelyn trailed off and lightly fingered the name on the metal tags. She missed her dad something fierce, especially now with everything that was happening to her.

"When did he die?" Emmett asked softly, vaguely aware that she'd told him before that it was sometime this year.

"It'll be 8 months next week." The sadness in her usually cheery voice gripped at Emmett's cold heart. It didn't seem right for her to sound so low when she was usually the brightest one in the room. At least to him she was.

"I know what it's like not having a dad. I mean, I have Carlisle, but he's not my real dad," Emmett said looking up at the star filled sky. He wanted to tell Kaelyn that he knew what she was feeling; he too lost his father after the change. He stopped aging, but his human family didn't, and he was forced to watch from the shadows as they all died with age, leaving him alone.

Kaelyn nodded; she forgot the Cullens and Hales were adopted. "Carlisle seems like a great guy."

"He is. He was there when I really needed him, and he helped me through my hardest times. But I always wonder what it would have been like if my dad was still here with me," Emmett said with a wry smile. Kaelyn smiled softly and scooted a little closer to him, their sides almost touching from the close proximity.

"My mom and I split my father's ashes into two urns because he always said we both held half of his heart. I think I want to spread them somewhere to honor him," Kaelyn added thoughtfully and moved the dog tags around in her hands.

"That's a good idea. When my dad died, I kept his ashes for so long, but a couple years ago, I spread them around the Mediterranean Sea. He always wanted to go there so I thought it was a good place for him to be."

"You're a really thoughtful guy, Emmett. I like being with you," Kaelyn whispered and leaned her head on his shoulder. Emmett's heart throbbed in his rib cage painfully. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and pull her close to his chest. He wanted to comfort her, kiss her temple, but Rosalie popped up in the back of his mind and he stopped his itching fingers from reaching out to her.

"I have an idea," Emmett said after a moment of silence. Kaelyn looked up at him through her eyelashes.

"And what would that be?"

"Let's go spread your father's ashes this weekend. If you want to," Emmett offered, second guessing his suggestion.

"But where?" Kaelyn asked sitting up fully.

"There's this place called Strawberry Bay. It's a couple hours drive from here, but it's beautiful," Emmett said softly. Kaelyn beamed brightly, taking Emmett's unnecessary breath away.

"Let's do it! My dad loved the ocean. That's why we lived in Florida for so long," Kaelyn exclaimed, pumped for this impromptu road trip.

"Okay, tomorrow's Friday so let's leave early in the morning on Saturday and we can come back late that night. How does that sound?" Emmett asked.

"That sounds great! I'm so excited now," Kaelyn said happily. Emmett released the breath that he didn't know he was holding and smiled at the girl in front of him. They would be together all day Saturday and no one was going to stop them. Maybe now he could have some peace to sort out what he wanted from Kaelyn and where Rosalie would come into it.

* * *

Alice gripped the windowsill tightly as her eyes clouded over with another vision. Kaelyn was laying on a bed; her breathing labored and several IVs stuck in her arm. There are a few other details, but the vision was over quickly.

For the first time in decades, Alice felt like crying. How could something so horrible happen to a nice girl like Kaelyn? Emmett would be devastated.

"Alice?" Edward placed a hand on her shoulder and forced her to turn so he could look at her face.

"Show me the vision," He whispered softly. Alice replayed it in his head, and when it was over, he pulled his sister into a tight hug.

"We need to tell him," Edward whispered as he let her go.

"No, it will ruin him."

"It'll be even worse when this happens and he doesn't know," Edward tried to reason.

"You won't tell him, Edward. Things are too delicate right now. There will be a time and place to tell him everything, but it's not now," Alice said firmly before turning and leaving the room.

"What was that all about?" Rosalie asked as she walked into the living room.

"Nothing."

"Well is sounded like you guys were talking about Emmett, and that means that Kaelyn is involved," Rose snapped at him.

"Leave it alone. There's nothing to tell," Edward growled at the blonde. He turned on his heel to leave the room.

"He's my husband, Edward! How am I supposed to leave it alone when some other woman is coming into his life, and there's nothing I can do to stop it?" She questioned, voice growing softer.

"Rose, I'm sorry it's come to this. But Emmett has found his singer which means that you have one out there too… Sometimes life likes to fuck with you and it sucks. But Emmett needs to figure things out on his own, and we need to stay out of it. He's a grown man who can make his own decisions," Edward replied. Rose nodded and watched him leave.

"She'll get him over my dead body," Rosalie grumbled to herself so low that no one else would hear it. She found Emmett, helped change him, showed him what it was like to become a vampire. He was _hers._ She wasn't about to let years go to waste because he was suddenly getting hot and bothered by a human.

* * *

Kaelyn couldn't keep the smile off her face the entire day at school. Her mother even commented on it before she left for the day. But Kaelyn couldn't help it; she and Emmett were spending time together after school and going on a road trip tomorrow morning. She knew she shouldn't feel this way about a guy who already has a girlfriend, but she was drawn to him, and no matter how hard she tried, he was never far from her mind.

Walking into her art class, she immediately caught said man's eyes and grinned. He flashed a pair of pearly whites right back at her.

"Ready to do some brain storming today?" She asked, setting her bag on the ground next to the leg of their table.

"I was ready yesterday," He joked and tried not to think about her spending time with the wolf instead of him. The mutt's scent lingered on her clothes when he met with her last night, but he was too distracted when he first saw her to think about it. It was only after they parted that he could smell the scent on his own sleeve where Kaelyn had rested her head.

"Then we better get to work," Kaelyn laughed. Mr. Hines was quick to start class and the two started working. Kaelyn would absentmindedly work on hers while going over some ideas with Emmett about what he should do.

Emmett stared down at his blank sheet of paper and rolled a few ideas around in his head. Create a work that meant something to him? Every time he tried to think of what was important to him, all he could think about was Kaelyn. Sighing, he shoved the paper away from him and crossed his arms, gazing out the window.

"Come on, Em. It's not that bad. Why don't you do something sports related? Or something about your family?" Kaelyn offered and set her pencil down.

"Sports are fun, but they're not something I couldn't live without," Emmett explained and leaned back in his chair, letting his head fall back.

"Where do you feel most at peace?" Kaelyn asked, watching his body posture. He turned his head to look at her and answered almost immediately.

"The woods."

Kaelyn smiled, thinking about their time last night. "I think that's a good place to start." An image suddenly popped up in Emmett's head, and he leaned forward. Grabbing the paper and pencil, he started scribbling a few things down.

Kaelyn tried to glance over his shoulder, but Emmett was quick to block her wandering eyes. "No peeking! This is going to be a surprise," Emmett scolded. Kaelyn laughed and sat back in her seat, working on her own piece. She glanced up again and saw Emmett concentrating on whatever he was sketching. It made her smile, but she chose to not embarrass him about his sudden interest in their art class.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Y'all's feed back has been amazing! I love getting all the reviews and messages! I'm so sorry it's taken so long to get this out. I mentioned in my last author's note that I'm revamping a lot of this story so it's taking me longer than I thought it would. I originally laid out the plot in 2011, so that just shows how long ago I first came up with this. But here's the next installment. I tried to research this location more, but I'm not quite sure how people normally get to Strawberry Bay so just go with the flow (:**

* * *

Emmett glanced at the clock and grinned. It was just before dawn and he planned on picking Kaelyn up at six. The vampire checked to make sure the coast was clear before he silently grabbed the keys to his jeep off the hooks on the wall.

"Emmett?" Cringing, said vampire turned around to see Esme looking at him questioningly with her arms crossed. Typical mother pose in place.

"Uh, yeah?" He asked as he scratched the back of his head.

"Just where are you going this early on a Saturday?" She asked him. Emmett held up a finger to his lips and walked closer to his adopted mother.

"Listen, I have plans with Kaelyn, but I don't want anyone knowing because that will only cause drama. I'm only trying to sort out my feelings," He whispered low enough that she would be the only vampire able to hear him. Esme's eyes softened and she nodded with understanding, fully aware of what her adoptive children were going through.

"When will you be back?"

"Probably really late. It's a small road trip…" He trailed off. Esme rested a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll cover for you."

"Thanks, Esme," Emmett grinned and kissed her cheek before leaving. Carlisle walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around his wife.

"What was that all about?" He asked into her ear softly. Esme grinned and leaned back into his chest.

"Oh nothing. I just needed Emmett to run a few errands for me," She fibbed before turning around to kiss her husband. While her husband was more optimistic about what the outcome with Rosalie and Emmett would be, Esme was harshly realistic and already preparing for the fall out she predicted would follow. She only hoped that Emmett would find his happiness soon.

Emmett pulled up to Kaelyn's house and jumped out of his jeep. He jogged up to her front door and lightly knocked. He didn't want to wake up her mom just in case she was still sleeping. The door opened to reveal an older looking version of Kaelyn. She smiled gently at Emmett and stepped aside.

"You must be Emmett. Come in. I'm Lila, Kaelyn's mom." Emmett walked inside and smiled back at Lila.

"It's nice to meet you. I'll try to have Kaelyn back before it gets too late. It's almost three hours to Port Townsend and then a couple hours on the ferries," Emmett explained. Lila waved him off and patted his arm softly.

"Don't worry about it. You guys have fun. God knows Kaelyn needs it," The last part she mumbled under her breath, but Emmett was able to hear it clearly.

"Kaelyn, Emmett is waiting!" Lila called into the house. Emmett could hear her frantic footfall like she was scurrying to hurry. He held back a snort and shoved his hands in his pockets while he waited with her mother.

"Coming!" Kaelyn yelled and came rushing out from a hallway. She had a small backpack packed and thrown over one shoulder. The weather was starting to warm up so she was dressed in jean capris and a simple white v-neck.

"Sorry, I woke up late. I'm ready now. Bye, Mom. I love you," Kaelyn said kissing her mom on the cheek and pulling Emmett out of the house. Emmett laughed at her excitement and started his jeep once they were both situated.

"Ready? We'll stop after an hour to use the bathroom and eat. Okay? We'll also need some snacks for the ferries."

"Sounds good. Let's go!" Kaelyn laughed. Emmett smiled gently at her and pulled out of the driveway. Kaelyn immediately began rummaging through her back and pulled out a blank CD. "I made a road trip playlist."

"And you put it on a CD? What are you? A fossil?" Emmett joked. Kaelyn stuck her tongue out at him and pushed it into his player. "Not everyone is fancy enough to have bluetooth in their cars; some of us still rely on CDs and mixed tapes."

"Please tell me you don't have a cassette player in your car," Emmett nearly groaned.

"Nope, but my mom does and we have some pretty mean tapes in there," She laughed at Emmett's horrified expression. He didn't want to admit it, but he was secretly pleased. Living through the times when those were the technological advances made him appreciate everything he had in the present. He was happy that Kaelyn seemed to appreciate them too.

"Okay, okay. What do you have on the CD?"

"A little bit of everything; Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Fall Out Boy. But don't worry, I made more than one," Kaelyn winked at him and started to sing along to the first Taylor Swift song that came on. Even though he didn't listen to her music at all, Emmett was happy to see Kaelyn smiling so he suffered through her song choices for the next three hours.

* * *

"Okay, this last ferry will take us to Cypress Island, and we can drive the rest of the way to Strawberry Bay," Emmett explained at they got out of the Jeep and walked around the boat. He led them over to a section of the railing towards the front so they could look out over the water. A light mist wet their cheeks, but the view was worth it.

"How did you know about this place?" Kaelyn asked, resting her arms on the railing. Copying her position, Emmett got comfortable for the boat ride.

"We used to move around a lot, so I was able to explore a lot of the state. It just stuck out to me. There aren't very many people there; it's peaceful."

"I can see you as a nature person," Kaelyn agreed. "I grew up near Miami so things were always busy, but I loved when I got the chance to just get away and go somewhere quiet. My dad was great. He used to wake us up early and drive to the marshes. We had this little, tin boat that he would spend 20 minutes trying to get the motor running on, and then he'd take us out on the water. I loved it."

"A man after my own tastes," Emmett said softly. Kaelyn nodded, "You two would have really hit it off."

Emmett wanted to say something else, but land was appearing in the distance, and he wanted to point it out to Kaelyn.

"Look, we're almost there. That's the beginning to the bay. The docks are part of it," Emmett explained once the town started to come into view.

"It's beautiful," Kaelyn whispered in awe. "Just wait until we are driving through it. It's small but cozy; almost like a fisherman's village."

Emmett led Kaelyn back to his Jeep so they could wait to unload the cars. The ferry slowly pulled into its port and dropped the ramp for the cars to drive off. Emmett drove off the boat and began pointing at a few things as they passed them.

"I love it, but if this is the bay, why are we still driving?" Kaelyn asked, looking out at the water.

Emmett pulled into a side parking lot by the docks and parked, grabbing his own backpack from the backseat.

"I have a surprise for you. Come on," He said getting out and opening the car door for her. Kaelyn flashed him a breath taking smile.

"What is it?"

"You'll see," Emmett slowly slid his hand down to hold hers and gently tugged her to follow him. Kaelyn attempted to keep her blush down; butterflies swarming her stomach. She had to keep reminding herself that Emmett was already spoken for and that this trip was just him being a good friend to her.

"What are we doing on the docks?" Kaelyn persisted. Emmett just smirked and talked to a man that met them halfway down the walkway. He grinned at Emmett and handed him a set of keys. Kaelyn raised an eyebrow and looked around.

"This way," Emmett pulled her again further down the raised wood. They stopped at a locked gate in front of a sailboat.

"I rented this for the day."

"You rented a sailboat? I didn't know you could sail," Kaelyn gaped.

"There's still a lot of things you don't know about me." Emmett smirked causing Kaelyn to punch his shoulder. He laughed and led Kaelyn onto the large boat. After taking a minute to help her get settled, he navigated them away from the shore and out onto the open sea. Kaelyn glanced over her shoulder at Emmett as he adjusted a sail and fixed the steering wheel. She turned back to look ahead of them and closed her eyes as the early afternoon, ocean breeze blew through her hair.

"Having fun?" Emmett asked as he sat down next to her. Kaelyn nodded and grinned happily.

"I've never been on a sailboat. A regular boat, yes, but never one of these," She answered.

"I'm glad you're happy. I anchored us here; we're pretty far from land." Emmett looked over his shoulder, Cypress Island a good distance away. There were a few more islands scattered around them, and the view took Kaelyn's breath away. The sun, mostly covered by the clouds, but when it wasn't was reflecting off the calm waters, and the islands were lit up with their greenery.

Reaching for her bag, Kaelyn took out a small urn and hesitated. Her eyes suddenly sad; a stark contrast to the happy ones Emmett saw only thirty minutes ago on the ferry.

"You don't have to dump his ashes you know," Emmett told her and gave her hand a small squeeze.

"I know, but this is what he wanted," Kaelyn answered with a forced smile. Slowly she unscrewed the lid and walked to the side of the boat; Emmett was beside her the whole time.

"Love you, Daddy," She whispered and took a handful of his ashes to release into the rippling water. Some got caught in the breeze and floated further away, her blue eyes tracking them until she lost sight of where they went. Kaelyn went to fill her hand again but stopped. "I can't let go of all of him," She forced with a heavy chest, feeling like it was harder to breathe with the thought of her not having part of him with her.

"You don't have too. You spread some of him so he can be with the sea, and the rest can stay with you. I think your father would be more than okay with that," Emmett whispered. Kaelyn closed the urn to set it down and turned to wrap her arms around Emmett's waist. Frozen for only a second, he quickly returned the embrace and held her through her heartache.

"I miss him…"

"I know, you'll always miss him, but it gets better."

"Thank you, Emmett." The two stood together for a while before pulling apart and smiling.

"I brought food," Emmett grinned and grabbed the backpack he packed that morning. Inside were grapes, two sandwiches, strawberries and water bottles. Kaelyn smiled and they sat down to eat. Emmett nibbled on things here and there to make it look normal even though food tasted horrible to him. But Kaelyn's eyes were light again so it was a small price to pay.

The sky was cloudy, but the air was warm and it felt relaxing. Kaelyn laid down on the bow of the boat and closed her eyes. Emmett felt the overwhelming urge to kiss her, but he stopped himself and laid down next to her. He laced their fingers together and watched her smile still not opening her eyes. Kaelyn knew that there was nothing between her and Emmett, but for the moment, she was going to soak it all in and enjoy it before they had to go back home and face reality. The reality that Emmett had a girlfriend, and Kaelyn would be stuck pining after someone she couldn't have.

Emmett finally checked the time and saw it was close to three. They need to leave soon so he could get her back home at a reasonable hour.

"I guess we should start heading back," Emmett whispered and stood up so he could steer them back.

"Would it be bad if I said I didn't want to go back?" She asked quietly, sitting up to look out at the water again. The gentle rocking of the sail boat was soothing, and the only thing keeping her tied to Forks was her mom; it would be so easy to make this her new life.

"I think about it too. Getting out of there, just going off on my own, not having to worry about pleasing other people," Emmett replied and helped Kaelyn to her feet.

"Too bad we have people expecting us to come home. My mom would worry herself sick; I'm sure Rosalie would do the same."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Emmett said dryly, trying to picture Rosalie worrying about his safety. He must have been making a troubled face because Kaelyn reached out to touch his arm. "Emmett, you okay?"

He met her eyes, and not for the first time, took a moment to take in their beauty. Deep blue orbs matching the ocean around them. He slowly moved forward and cupped one of her cheeks in his hand, making her eyes widen further at the small touch.

"Kaelyn, I -" Throat full of cotton, he couldn't express what he was feeling in words. "I'm okay. I'll take us back to the docks." Pulling away, Kaelyn's cheek felt cold already missing his cool touch. Disappointed, she sat back down and watched the docks slowly come back into view. It was quiet between them, Kaelyn's mind racing with the possibilities of what Emmett was about to say.

Emmett guided them into their designated sleeve and stepped off the boat first to be able to hold out his hand to help Kaelyn. When Emmett walked back over to the man to give him the keys back, Kaelyn suddenly felt faint and wobbly, overcome with lightheadedness. Holding her head, she tried to stay upright, but gravity worked against her and she began to fall towards the water beside her.

"Kaelyn!" Emmett grabbed her before she toppled over the side of the dock.

"Kaelyn, are you okay?" Kaelyn found it hard to focus on Emmett's face, but she nodded anyway. He helped her stand on shaky legs and looked down at her in concern.

"I guess I haven't found my land legs yet," Kaelyn joked, but Emmett didn't laugh. The sight of her about to go over into the water made his heart almost burst; it looked like more than her just trying to get her bearings together. He was worried and wanted to question her more, but the look on her face told him she didn't want to talk about it. He kept an arm around her just in case while he led them back to the Jeep.

Kaelyn bit her lip, wishing she could stay in Strawberry Bay forever. Because when she went home and told her mom what happened, shit was going to hit the fan.


	10. Chapter 10

Emmett sat in his bedroom Monday morning and watched the sun rise over the treeline. He'd spent the rest of the weekend thinking; debating what to do. Watching Kaelyn almost pass out on the docks had him panicking like nothing ever had before, and it made him realize just how strong his feelings for her ran. He needed to finally talk to Rosalie and end things. He couldn't cut Kaelyn out of his life now, and he couldn't keep Rosalie with him either.

The door slowly opened and his wife walked in silently. Rosalie closed it back with a click and sat on the bed next to him, sensing his somber mood.

"How was your hunting trip?"

"I found some antelope."

Emmett nodded and finally turned to face her. "I need to talk to you, Rose."

"We are talking."

"I was with Kaelyn this weekend-"

"What do you mean with her?" Rosalie hissed, her mind already reaching a conclusion she didn't want to think about. One that ended with her husband naked in the sheets with another woman.

"We hung out all day Saturday. That's it. But we still need to talk about this, Rose." The blonde vampire stood up and threw her hands in the air.

"There's nothing to say Emmett! You need to get over your fascination with her blood so we can move on from this." Emmett stood up slowly and shook his head.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. It's not just her blood; I can't keep myself away from her. I can't, Rose. And I can't keep dragging you through this with me. It's not fair to you-"

"Emmett. Think very carefully about what you're going to say next. Because it sounds an awful lot like you're trying to end our marriage," Rosalie said, deathly quiet. Emmett frowned and took a step forward, but Rosalie put a hand out to stop him from getting any closer.

"This is for the best. I can't stay true to our marriage vows when I'm feeling like this for someone else-"

"So you just want to break them completely and call it quits?! We said we would always work together to get past difficult times," Rosalie reminded him, searching his eyes for anything to give her hope that their marriage wasn't over.

"Rose, I love you. I do. You saved me and got me to where I am today. But I can't keep doing this. Kaelyn is my singer; I can't deny it. I'm falling in love with her, and I won't keep lashing out at you and leading you on by saying everything is fine. Because it's not fine." Emmett tried to reach out to her, But Rosalie smacked his hand away, her lip curled up in anger.

"I hate you," She snarled and turned on her heel, yanking their door off its hinges so she could get out of the room and away from him. Emmett watched her leave and fell back to sit on the bed again. His heart ached for their broken marriage, but it really was for the best that it didn't continue. Not when he knew who he truly wanted to be with.

Across town, Kaelyn was sitting in a waiting room at the doctor's office. She'd gotten in so late on Saturday that her mother was already asleep so they didn't get a chance to talk about her fainting spell until Sunday morning.

 _"_ _What do you mean you got dizzy?" Lila asked her daughter, horrified._

 _"Just that. One minute I was fine and then I was falling over. Emmett caught me before I fell off the dock," Kaelyn said softly. Lila held back the lump in their throat and went into the kitchen. Her hands were shaking when they grabbed the phone off the receiver._

 _"Mom, what are you doing?"_

 _"I'm calling the doctor's office. You need to go in and see what's going on," Lila's voice shook as the line rang._

 _"It's Sunday. No one is going to answer..."_

 _"Then I'll leave a message so we can have an appointment Monday morning. You need to get checked up."_

 _"Mom, we both know what's going on," Kaelyn whispered. Lila sighed heavily and nodded, but she left a message for the doctor's office anyway. Kaelyn sat at the kitchen table and listened to her mom on the phone._

Kaelyn looked down at her hands and closed her eyes. She already knew what the doctor was going to tell her. It was inevitable; she's been sick for so long it wasn't even a surprise anymore.

"Kaelyn Schultz?" The nurse called into the waiting room; her pink scrubs were a little too vibrant for Kaelyn's current mood. Lila nudged her daughter to stand and they followed the nurse into another room where they waited for Dr. Bensen to meet them. Kaelyn let the nurse take her vitals and ask her why they wanted to come in, but Lila had already explained most of it over the phone that morning. The nurse smiled politely and left them to keep waiting for the doctor.

A tall brunette entered the room a couple of minutes later. Her long, wavy hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and she had black, square framed glasses on. She was pretty but looked experienced which Kaelyn was happy for. Her doctor in Florida was the one to suggest this office when they told him they were moving.

"Hi, Kaelyn. I'm Dr. Bensen. I've been looking at your file that Dr. Rymer sent to me last month from Miami. It seems like you've been through a lot for someone your age," She commented as she read a few more notes in Kaelyn's thick file.

"You could say that," Kaelyn mumbled and fiddled with her fingers.

"We came in because she had a dizzy spell on Saturday and passed out on a dock in Strawberry Bay," Lila filled the doctor in. Dr. Bensen raised her eyebrows and nodded. She took off her glasses and put them in her lab coat pocket.

"Kaelyn, I want to run a few tests on you, but we would need to go to the hospital to do that. I don't have the equipment here to do it. I've made sure to clear some of my schedule so I can accompany you there. Would that be okay?" Kaelyn nodded and Lila jumped at the offer. Dr. Bensen notified the staff of her trip over to the hospital and followed behind the mother and daughter in her own car.

When they arrived at Forks General, Dr. Bensen walked over to a nurse at the front desk and filled her in. Soon they were being escorted into another room where several tests were run; blood, MRI, CT scan, chest X-rays and much more. Kaelyn was exhausted when they finished a couple of hours later. She just wanted to go home and crawl into her bed.

"You guys can rest in here. I'm going to go over some of your tests and see if everything is still okay. I'll be back soon," Dr. Bensen closed the door behind her and left the two alone. Lila hugged her daughter and held back her tears. Old memories were resurfacing from their countless previous hospital visits, and she felt useless all over again.

"I'm really tired, Mom."

"Lay down, Honey. She'll be gone for a little bit." Kaelyn nodded and climbed into the empty bed in the room. Almost 45 minutes later, Dr. Bensen returned looking grim. She pulled up a stool next to the bed and look Kaelyn in the eye as she sat up.

"It seems that you're no longer in remission, and your leukemia has gotten exceedingly worse. Your white blood cells are multiplying rapidly and attacking your red blood cells. Your dizziness was caused by an anemic condition from your having a lower level of red blood cells. And you've already tried chemo several different times. If you want, we can try again—"

"No, I'm not going through that for a fourth time. If it didn't work the first three times, it won't work now. Is there anything else?" Kaelyn asked.

"We rank cancer in levels, zero being the least severe and four being the most. Right now, you're almost at a four; your cancer has infiltrated several of your lymphnodes an continues to spread. There aren't very many treatment options left. I can prescribe medications for your symptoms like pain killers for your achy joints," Dr. Bensen recommended.

"Okay, but what else do we do? Watch her die?!" Lila exclaimed fighting back her tears. Kaelyn was surprisingly quiet; she expected this to happen soon with how she'd been feeling. It was just a lot to take in that she was being told it was finally happening.

"The cancer is too extensive for surgery, and if you don't want chemo, then the best thing to do is to take your daughter home and let her live the rest of her life happily. Make sure she's comfortable—"

"And how much longer is her life?" Lila asked bitterly. Dr. Bensen looked truly regretful for having to tell them all this.

"I'd say a little under half a year." Lila broke down and held onto Kaelyn who was sitting calmly on the bed. She stared at the floor in shock. She knew it would be soon, but six months?

"If you have any questions, this is my pager number and personal cell phone number. Please call me if you need anything," Dr. Bensen handed Lila her card before leaving to give the two women some privacy.

"I'll get to graduate high school," Kaelyn whispered.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," Lila sobbed holding onto her daughter tightly. She lost her husband, and now Kaelyn was being torn away from her too?!

"Mom, I need to go get something to drink, and I want to go home. Can you uh go get the car ready?" She asked softly. Lila wiped her tears away and nodded. She kissed her daughter's forehead before leaving the room. Kaelyn took a shaky breath and walked out as well and down the hallway. She kept her eyes trained on the floor trying to think. It was hard to wrap her head around everything when she was also worried about what her mother was feeling.

Kaelyn turned the corner and ran into someone, but the other person quickly grabbed her arm to steady her before she fell. Kaelyn looked up and saw a beautiful man in front of her.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking," Kaelyn apologized. The man smiled back at her, and it was then that she realized he must be a doctor because of his white coat.

"Don't worry about it; neither was I. I'm Dr. Cullen. Do you need help with anything?" He asked. Kaelyn stared in awe at him. This was Emmett's adoptive dad. She'd heard that he was attractive, but she's never had the chance to meet him.

"I'm Kaelyn and no. I was just leaving," She trailed off.

"Kaelyn Schultz? You're friends with Emmett, right? What are you doing here?" He asked connecting the dots.

"Oh yeah, that's me. I was just getting a checkup," She said because it was mostly the truth. Carlisle raised an eyebrow.

"Is everything alright?" He asked sounding concerned.

"Just peachy. It was nice to meet you, but my mom is waiting for me outside. Bye Dr. Cullen," She said quickly and sped walked out of the hospital. Her mom was waiting for her when she reached the car.

"Do you know Kaelyn?" Dr. Bensen walked up beside Carlisle. He glanced at her and nodded.

"One of my sons has a crush on her," He grinned a little, but Dr. Bensen smiled sadly in return.

"It's a shame. She's so young…" Carlisle looked at her confused. The brunette sighed and turned to face him completely.

"Can we talk in your office? I need to get your advice on what I told her today." Carlisle nodded and led her down to his office. To say he was caught off guard was an understatement.

* * *

 **A/N: Love love love all the feedback! Keep it coming! Also I just finished rereading the old story and I wanted to throw up. I can't believe I put that out there. So if you read the original, I'm so sorry you suffered through that, and this revamped version will have a different story line. So just be ready!**


	11. Chapter 11

With graduation only a month away, Alice was giddy with excitement. She'd dragged Jasper into their room to brainstorm ideas while they relaxed together on the bed.

"We definitely need to throw a party," Alice told him, "Like a huge party. We can invite Kaelyn now that Emmett talked to Rosalie. We can hire a DJ and hang a disco ball in the living room! Or even string some lights outside so people can hang out in the backyard." Jasper chuckled at his wife and smiled.

"You want to throw a party for everything."

"I kn—" Alice zoned out, Jasper knew right away that it was a vision. He patiently waited for her to come out of the trance but became concerned when Alice's face contorted into one of horror. Alice grew panicked and she flew out of the room as fast as she could. Jasper's eyes widened before he ran after her, wanting to find out what made her react that way.

"Carlisle, is it true?" Alice asked her father as he walked in the front door. Carlisle looked up the stairs to her and sighed. Glancing around the room to make sure Emmett and Rosalie were absent, he nodded.

"Yes…" He answered softly.

"What's going on?" Esme asked as she walked into the room. She could hear her husband being bombarded all the way from her bedroom.

"Kaelyn is sick," Alice mumbled.

"It's more than that. Kaelyn is dying," Carlisle told them. Esme gasped quietly and walked closer to wrap her arms around Alice who was clearly upset even if she couldn't cry. Esme rubbed her arms softly and looked to her husband for an explanation.

"I knew that she would have to go to the hospital, but I didn't ever see her die," Alice whispered, going through all the visions she's had of Kaelyn since she moved to Forks.

"Kaelyn has had leukemia for almost seven years now. It's become terminal and there's nothing else we can do for her; she's already done chemo three times and is refusing to do it again. Her doctor said she has a little less than six months left," Carlisle explained. Edward leaned against the door frame and frowned.

"We need to tell Emmett," He mumbled to the room. All eyes turned to him, but he focused on the furious pair Alice set on him.

"No."

"Alice, he needs to know—"

"No, Edward. In all of my visions, it has been clear that Kaelyn has no intention of telling anyone about this. If she doesn't want Emmett to know, then we have no right to tell him," She trailed off, breaking their staring contest. Edward pushed up off the wall and got closer to his sister.

"How would you feel if Jasper suddenly got sick and no one told you?" Edward lashed out.

"That's different. We're vampires—"

"Bullshit! You would want to know if something happened to him. Emmett would want to know too!"

"What would I want to know?" Everyone whipped around to face said vampire. They were all too preoccupied to sense him coming back from his hunt.

"It's nothing," Alice said before Edward could reply. The copper haired vampire glared at his sister and left the room swiftly. The room was silent as Emmett tried to read into what just happened.

"Woah… what did I miss?" Emmett asked looking confused.

"Nothing!" Alice snapped and left as well with Jasper on her heels.

"Did I say something?" Emmett grumbled and looked to his parents. Carlisle shook his head and sighed.

"Those two got into a little argument. They'll have it settled before tomorrow," Carlisle said before leaving with Esme. Emmett stood all alone in the living room looking hopelessly lost.

"What the hell just happened?"

* * *

 _'Have any plans tomorrow after school?'_

Kaelyn read Paul's text and sent him a quick reply saying she was free and could drive out to his place. Her turned the screen off and slid her phone into her back pocket. She grabbed her plate from breakfast and put it in the dishwasher before moving over to the kitchen table where she had a few things spread about.

Kaelyn put her textbook in her school bag and zipped it up. Her mom watched her carefully as if she was expecting her daughter to collapse at any moment.

"You don't have to go to school you know," Her mom voiced softly.

"I have one month until I graduate. At least let me enjoy it!" Kaelyn snapped and instantly regretted it.

"Mom, I didn't mean it like that. It's just a lot to take in, but I still want to do a lot of things before…" She didn't finish, but they both knew what she was going to say. Lila nodded and took a deep breath to keep herself from crying.

"I know, I just don't want to lose you so soon," She whispered. Kaelyn smiled softly at her mom before pulling her into a tight hug.

"You still have me, and we still have time together. But for now, I need to go to school. I'll come home right after." Lila nodded and kissed her daughter's forehead before seeing her out the door. As soon as the door clicked shut, Lila fell to her knees, silent tears streaming down her face.

* * *

Emmett got to the lunch room early and sat down at the usual table. Kaelyn was absent yesterday and he hadn't seen her since their day together on Saturday. To say he was anxious was an understatement. Slowly, the rest of his family filed in along with Bella but still no Kaelyn. He was about to get up and go look for her, but Edward stopped him with a hand on his bicep.

"She's skipping lunch to finish some make up work she missed yesterday," Edward filled him in after reading his mind. Emmett slouched down and nodded. At least he would get to see her next period.

Lunch was awkward to say the least. Rosalie was silent as always, but she would glare daggers at Emmett about every five minutes. Edward and Alice seemed to be communicating telepathically, and Emmett felt completely out of the loop. When the bell rang to dismiss lunch, he all but ran out of the cafeteria to get to his art class and see the person he'd been wanting to see the most.

He walked in the room and saw Kaelyn already sitting down at their table. Heart suddenly pounding in his chest, Emmett forced himself to walk to his seat as casually as possible.

"Hey there stranger," He beamed. Kaelyn tucked some of her blonde hair behind her ear and smiled up at him.

"Hey." Her blue eyes sparkled and left him speechless. Finding his words after a few moments, he managed to finally reply.

"So, you weren't at school yesterday. Are you okay after what happened on Saturday?" He asked, thinking back to how she almost fainted on the docks.

"Huh, oh yeah. No, I'm fine. My mom wanted me to go get a check up and the doctor said that I probably had a touch of anemia and the warm weather exacerbated it. Nothing serious, but my mom didn't want to take any chances," She lied through her teeth, hoping it sounded more believable than it felt. Emmett bought her fib and moved on to another topic.

"So I heard you've been hanging out at La Push. Did you get a boyfriend?" He asked, trying to play it off like he didn't care much, but the thought of one of those mutts putting his hands on her still made his blood boil.

"Boyfriend? No, but I met some really nice people. I go hang out with his guy named Paul. He's one of my best friends here."

"I think I know him. Tall, tan with dark hair and pretty muscular?" He asked, but he knew exactly which one that was. The one with an anger problem; he didn't like that Kaelyn was spending her time with a volatile dog. If he lost his temper around her, there's no telling what may happen.

"You just described half of the guys from La Push, but yes, he fits the description," She answered, "I'm going to see him tomorrow after school."

"How're you and Rosalie doing?" Kaelyn asked, wanting to change the subject when she saw Emmett's serious face. He blinked and frowned a little at the question, not really wanting to trouble her with all his marital problems.

"I think Rose and I may be calling it quits actually-"

"What?! Emmett, what happened?" She asked, leaning forward to give him her full attention. Emmett shrugged and tried to look away, but her big eyes drew him right back in.

"We've been on the rocks for a while now, and lately all we do is fight. I'm just tired of it all so I talked to her about it. She didn't take it too well. Things may be tense for a while after this," He confessed and rubbed his neck, thinking about all the drama back at home. His parents were staying out of it and so were his siblings, but everyone knew what was happening. It only made things worse.

"What we were guy fighting about?" Kaelyn asked softly, already having an idea in her head. She shouldn't have driven alone with a taken guy to Strawberry Bay. If her boyfriend ever did that with another girl, she would be pissed. If he told Rosalie, she can only imagine her reaction.

Guilt consumed her gut; she was starting to regret getting close to Emmett in the first place. Now his relationship was ending and she was probably a factor in why.

Emmett saw her inner turmoil and decided to be honest with her. "Recently, we've been fighting about you-"

"We shouldn't have gone to Strawberry Bay. I'm so sorry, Emmett! Maybe we can explain that it was just platonic and we're just friends."

Emmett stopped her from rambling, "I don't want this to be platonic." Kaelyn's jaw went slack, her mind completely blank. "Rose has been upset because she can see that I have feelings for you; there's no trying to fix our relationship. Not when I feel this way about someone else."

Kaelyn swallowed and took a moment to gather herself. She never pictured Emmett telling her something like that; he always seemed unreachable to her.

"I don't know what to say," She confessed causing Emmett to grin at her sudden shyness.

"Just say that we don't have to talk about Rosalie anymore. Oh and that you have been crushing on me since we met," He joked, but when her cheeks flamed red he stopped his teasing. His heart stuttered, not realizing that she had feelings for him as well.

Kaelyn looked down at her papers, trying to get her face to cool off. Emmett reached over and covered one of her hands with his.

"Hey I didn't mean to scare you off. I wasn't expecting anything back from you; I was just tired of hiding how I felt," He whispered. Kaelyn wiggled her fingers a little so that she could intertwine theirs together.

"I guess you're pretty okay too," She mumbled, looking anywhere but that their joined hands. Emmett, on the other hand, wore the biggest shit eating grin.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry this one is so short. I think I've finally decided on the new story line! Rose isn't gone just yet, and Kaelyn isn't going to let go of Emmett breaking up with her so abruptly. Side note: IT'S NURSES WEEK! Tell your nurse friends/family you love them! I appreciate all my amazing coworkers, Lord knows I would die at work without them lol**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Long time no see! Here's the latest chapter. Please excuse any errors, I reread it, but I'm only human and don't have anyone else looking over it. Please let me know what you think about it!**

* * *

Kaelyn grimaced as she stepped out of the shower and stretched the skin around the bruise on her shin. She bumped into her nightstand the night before and was left with a nasty looking welp. The cancer sure wasn't helping her body fight back against something as insignificant as a bruise.

Grunting, Kaelyn dried off so she could keep getting ready. She left her hair wet so it could dry into its naturally wavy form. Less to deal with. Tugging on her converse, Kaelyn headed into the kitchen to eat something before she left. Lila was sitting at the table, drinking her morning coffee. She glanced up when her daughter walked in and kept eyes on her the entire time.

Kaelyn grabbed an orange from the fridge and started to peel the rind away. She felt her mother's questioning eyes on her so she looked up to meet them.

"How're you feeling today?" Lila asked softly, taking another sip from her mug. Kaelyn popped a slice in her mouth and chewed for a minute before replying.

"I'm feeling pretty good. A little achy but good," She told her mom, truthfully. Lila relaxed a little bit and cracked a smile. "Good," She whispered, "That's good."

Kaelyn finished off her orange and went to grab a water bottle.

"Paul came by last night; said he was in town with a friend. But you'd already gone to bed pretty early. He said he would text you today about the plans you have after school," Lila told her. Kaelyn smiled thinking about seeing Paul after school. She wondered if she should tell him about the new revelation that happened with Emmett yesterday. Butterflies tingled in her stomach just thinking abut it.

"Uh yeah, I'm supposed to go see him for a few hours after school. I'll be home after that though." Lila nodded and helped grab her daughter's school bag so she could leave.

"I'll see you when you get home," Lila kissed Kaelyn's cheek and waved goodbye as she got into her car. Kaelyn sat in her car for a minute, and let her body catch up. She was feeling better, but she was still pretty lethargic and felt more out of breath than usual. Her body didn't want to move as much as she was making it. Finally, she pulled out of the driveway and headed in the direction of the school.

A couple of minutes after she parked, Alice was already at her window, tapping lightly on the glass. Kaelyn smiled at her and got out to let the short girl link arms with her.

"Good morning, Beautiful!" Alice chirped as she dragged her through the parking lot, her bubbly attitude infectious to those around her. Kaelyn's spirits were already rising just being close to Alice.

"Good morning to you too. What's gotten into you so early?" Kaelyn laughed but let herself get pulled along through all the parked cars and milling teenagers.

"I just wanted to get to you first."

"Me first?"

"Rosalie is in an extra vindictive mood today. I know about her and Emmett. I also know Emmett told you a few things yesterday," Alice whispered, with a hint of a smile.

"He told you?"

"No, I just know things," Alice laughed and tugged her along again, trying to get her face to look less horrified. "I just wanted to warn you that she's not the happiest camper right now."

"Thanks for the heads up," Kaelyn mumbled and walked with her into the building as the first warning bell rang.

Kaelyn was lucky enough not to encounter the pissy blonde until lunch finally rolled around. Walking down the hall, she was about to enter the cafeteria when an icy hand grabbed her by the bicep and pulled her down the hall a few paces.

"What? Rosalie, let go of me," She hissed, trying to yank herself free, but Rosalie's grip was like stone. Her nails bit into her arm when she tightened her fingers as Kaelyn struggled. Rosalie stopped and faced a nervous Kaelyn.

"Listen to me closely. I don't know what game you're trying to play with Emmett, but you're going to stop. He's mine. I don't care what he says right now; he'll get tired of you and coming running back to me. So save us both the time and leave him alone." Rosalie finally let go of Kaelyn's arm, and she could only assume a massive bruise would take its place later today.

"Look, I don't know what Emmett said to you, but if you want to talk to anyone about your relationship, talk to him." Rosalie narrowed her eyes down at the shorter blonde, her lip almost curling back in anger. She wanted nothing more than to claw Kaelyn's eyes out for even looking at her husband.

"What? You don't want to face the person whose life you're ruining?" She hissed. Kaelyn flinched back but held her ground.

"I'm not ruining anything, and I'm not the person who can change Emmett's mind. If you don't want to end things, go talk to him," Kaelyn repeated, turning to walked away, but Rosalie's hand shot out again to grab the same arm. Kaelyn cringed and went to snap at her, but someone else beat her to it.

"Rose, what're you doing?" Emmett growled, seeing his ex's hand tighten on Kaelyn's arm before releasing it.

"Just talking to the home wrecker," She replied sweetly. Emmett glared at her and quickly gave Kaelyn a once over to see what damage has been done.

"I'm not a home wrecker, Rosalie. Figure your shit out and leave me out of it," Kaelyn told the two of them and walked away. She didn't walk into the cafeteria like she previously planned. She walked out of the school building and into the student parking lot. She wasn't going back to class, not after what Rosalie said and did to her. Her arm was throbbing and she winced every time she touched it.

Throwing her backpack into the back seat, she grabbed her phone and called the only person she wanted to talk to.

"Kaelyn, what's wrong? Why aren't you in class?" Paul asked, worried on the other side of the phone. Kaelyn put her car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot, not caring if any of the faculty saw her skipping out early.

"I can't go back in there. I'm coming over now if that's okay."

"Of course it's okay. What happened?" Kaelyn shook her head and told him she would explain when she got there. She tossed her phone into the passenger seat and wanted to scream but held herself back. Speeding up, she watched the trees fly by from the side of her eyes as she drove to La Push. The fact that Rosalie confronted her at school, in a crowded hallway, where anyone could have heard what they were saying rubbed her the wrong way. There's a way to approach someone and that wasn't it.

Her arm throbbed again, and she cursed that fact that the bruise would be visible unless she wore longer sleeves. No one wanted to do that with the increase in temperature as summer approached.

She was still confused about why Rosalie confronted her instead of talking to Emmett about their break up. If she didn't want him to leave her, she should be talking to him, not Kaelyn. Kaelyn wasn't anything to Emmett besides someone he admitted to have feelings for. She didn't know how strong those feelings were; she's only known him for a couple of months so probably not very strong.

When Kaelyn pulled up to Paul's house, he was waiting for her on the front porch. His eyes zeroed in on her arm right away, "What happened? Is that a handprint?" He asked, examining the now bright red mark on her bicep. Kaelyn joined him on the front porch and promptly fell back onto his bench swing. Paul sat down next to her and waited for her to say something.

"Rosalie decided to pick a fight with me in the middle of the hallway."

"Rosalie Hale?" Paul asked, holding back a growl. A vampire put their hands on Kaelyn and hurt her. It made his vision go red, but he calmed himself down before something happened that he would regret.

"The one and only," Kaelyn grumbled and leaned back, letting the bench swing them back and forth lightly.

"Why did she do that?" Paul wanted to know why the vampires were even getting close to Kaelyn to begin with, let alone put their hands on her and leave marks. Kaelyn flushed a little and looked away from him.

"Emmett told me he was ending things with Rosalie and that he has feelings for me. But it's not like I asked him to break up with her, and I wasn't flirting with him or trying to steal him away. For her to call me a home wrecker when she's the one putting holes in the wall," Kaelyn trailed off with a mumble. Paul was stunned; he had a feeling she felt something for the strong one, but he didn't think Emmett would end his marriage for her. He didn't like this at all.

"How do you feel about it?" Paul asked softly. Kaelyn finally looked back at him.

"There's something there," She whispered. Paul tsked and rubbed a hand over his mouth and jaw. "You need to be careful, Kaelyn. That family spells bad news, and I don't want you getting caught up in the middle of their trouble." Kaelyn frowned and looked out at the trees surrounding his small house.

"And how do you know that?"

"Our families go way back, nothing but trouble," He mumbled again.

"Can we talk about something else? I don't want to think about Emmett and Rosalie right now," Kaelyn said. Paul didn't want to just let it go, but the look on her face had him agreeing. Paul stood up and stretched his arms and back.

"C'mon, I'm guessing you didn't get to eat anything with the blonde witch attacking you. Let's go make something," Paul nodded to the front door. Kaelyn smiled and jumped up to follow him inside.

"What're you going to make me?"

"The only thing I can make, sandwiches," Paul grinned as they walked into his kitchen. Kaelyn huffed but couldn't keep the smile from her lips. "We always have sandwiches," She teased.

"At least I'm feeding you and not letting you starve." And just like that everything was back to normal and all the talk of Emmett was under the bridge.

* * *

A few hours later Kaelyn was standing back out on the porch saying goodbye. She wrapped her arms around Paul's middle and felt his warm arms close around her. "Thank you for being there for me even if you don't like it." Paul chuckled and moved to press his lips to her temple.

"I'll always be here for you. Even if he ends up being an asshole and you need me to come beat him up." He half hoped that happened so the pack would have some kind of reason to make a move even if it would stretching it.

Kaelyn laughed and let go, not aware that Paul wanted to hold onto her for a few moments longer. He watched her get into her car to leave and couldn't help but notice that she smelled a little differently than normal. He couldn't ask her about it without revealing his secret so he chalked it up to her being around too many vampires for his liking.

Paul headed back inside once Kaelyn's car was completely gone from view.

Kaelyn drove for a little while, but as she was coming up to the Forks-La Push border, she saw a familiar looking Jeep pulled over on her side of the road. Kaelyn slowed down and saw Emmett leaning against the door, waiting patiently. She pulled over behind his Jeep and sat for a minute, not knowing if she should get out or not. He never moved, but he watched her carefully, waiting to see what she did.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and got out.


End file.
